The acute and chronic low-temperature stress responses in Porites lutea from a relatively high-latitude coral reef of the South China Sea

作者：Xuelu Wei, Kefu Yu, Zhenjun Qin, Shuchang Chen, Nengbin Pan, Mengling Lan · 发表于：Frontiers in Marine Science · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/fmars.2024.1321865 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies、Marine and coastal plant biology、Echinoderm biology and ecology

Relatively high-latitude coral reefs could be potential “refuges” for corals under climate change. One of the most important aspects limiting their availability as refuges is low-temperature stress. However, the mechanisms underlying the response of coral holobionts to low-temperature stress is unclear. In this study, we aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms by recording the maximum quantum yields of photosystem II ( Fv/Fm ) and transcriptome responses of Porites lutea under acute (1–2 weeks) and chronic (6–12 weeks) low-temperature stress at 20°C and 14°C. The P. lutea samples were collected from a relatively high-latitude coral reef in the South China Sea (109°00′–109°15′E and 21°00′–21°10′ N). The study suggested that: (1) Under acute low-temperature stress, the Fv/Fm of Symbiodiniaceae dropped by 64%, which was significantly higher than the 49% observed under chronic stress. Low-temperature stress inhibited photosystem II(PSII) functioning, with greater inhibition under acute stress. (2) Downregulation of sugar metabolism-related genes under low-temperature stress implied that the decrease in energy was due to obstruction of PSII. (3) Under low-temperature stress, calcification-related genes were downregulated in coral hosts, possibly because of energy deprivation caused by inhibited photosynthesis, Symbiodiniaceae expulsion, and oxidative phosphorylation uncoupling in mitochondria. (4) Acute low-temperature stress induced the upregulation of genes related to the TNF...