Species-level differences in molecular responses to a thermally variable stress-hardening treatment for Caribbean corals

Species-level differences in molecular responses to a thermally variable stress-hardening treatment for Caribbean corals | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 26 March 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Species-level differences in molecular responses to a thermally variable stress-hardening treatment for Caribbean corals Authors : Allyson DeMerlis 0000-0002-6408-187X [email protected] , Michael Studivan , Kevin Wong , Nash Soderberg , David Ehrens , Lys Isma , Katrina Cocson , … Show All … , Katrina Rosing , Rowan Thomas , Martine D'Alessandro , Danielle Dvorkin , Joseph Unsworth , Patrick Kiel , Ana Palacio-Castro , Diego Lirman , Andrew Baker , Erinn Muller 0000-0002-2695-2064 , Nikki Traylor-Knowles , and Ian Enochs Show Fewer Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174299959.98621772/v1 Published Ecology and Evolution Version of record Peer review timeline 549 views 206 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Coral reefs around the world are increasingly threatened by rising ocean temperatures, leading to more frequent mass bleaching events. However, some corals, typically found in more thermally variable environments, have demonstrated resilience to thermal stress. Consequently, applying temperature variability for assisted acclimatization has been identified as a promising intervention for restoration efforts. While previous studies support this technique for thermal stress-hardening, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. To address this research gap, we applied a variable temperature regime to promote stress-hardening on two Caribbean coral species, the staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and the knobby brain coral (Pseudodiploria clivosa), and evaluated changes in host and algal symbiont (Family Symbiodiniaceae) gene expression. Overall, the response to acclimatory treatments in corals and their algal endosymbionts molecular mechanisms underlying them were species-specific. Acropora cervicornis had a greater transcriptional response to the temperature treatment compared to Pseudodiploria clivosa (583 vs. 55 differentially expressed genes). In Acropora cervicornis, there was significant down-regulation of key stress response genes, including peroxidases, nitric-oxide synthase, and tumor necrosis factors, and an upregulation of genes involved in histone modifications. Importantly, these genes have been previously implicated in the generalized stress response of corals, suggesting that the molecular mechanisms of thermal stress-hardening employ similar pathways. Considering the varying responses observed between species in this study, further research across a wider diversity of reef-building coral species is necessary before implementation at the scale needed for restoration efforts. Supplementary Material File (demerlis2025manusript.docx) Download 2.40 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 26 March 2025 Peer review timeline Published Ecology and Evolution Version of Record 5 Nov 2025 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords bioinfomatics/phyloinfomatics climate change cnidarians ecological genetics phenotypic plasticity transcriptomics Authors Affiliations Allyson DeMerlis 0000-0002-6408-187X [email protected] University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Michael Studivan University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science View all articles by this author Kevin Wong University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Nash Soderberg University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science View all articles by this author David Ehrens University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Lys Isma University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Katrina Cocson University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Katrina Rosing University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Rowan Thomas University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Martine D'Alessandro University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Danielle Dvorkin University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Joseph Unsworth University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Patrick Kiel University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Ana Palacio-Castro NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory View all articles by this author Diego Lirman University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Andrew Baker University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Erinn Muller 0000-0002-2695-2064 Mote Marine Laboratory View all articles by this author Nikki Traylor-Knowles University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric and Earth Science View all articles by this author Ian Enochs Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 549 views 206 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Allyson DeMerlis, Michael Studivan, Kevin Wong, et al. Species-level differences in molecular responses to a thermally variable stress-hardening treatment for Caribbean corals. Authorea . 26 March 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174299959.98621772/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. Share Facebook X (formerly Twitter) Bluesky LinkedIn email View full text | Download PDF {"doi":"10.22541/au.174299959.98621772/v1","type":"Article"} Now Reading: Share Figures Tables Close figure viewer Back to article Figure title goes here Change zoom level Go to figure location within the article Download figure Toggle share panel Toggle share panel Share Toggle information panel Toggle information panel Go to previous graphic Go to next graphic Go to previous table Go to next table All figures All tables View all material View all material xrefBack.goTo xrefBack.goTo Request permissions Expand All Collapse Expand Table Show all references SHOW ALL BOOKS Authors Info & Affiliations About FAQs Contact Us Directory RSS Back to top Powered by Research Exchange Preprints Help Terms Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences $(document).ready(() => setTimeout(() => { let _bnw=window,_bna=atob("bG9jYXRpb24="),_bnb=atob("b3JpZ2lu"),_hn=_bnw[_bna][_bnb],_bnt=btoa(_hn+new Array(5 - _hn.length % 4).join(" ")); $.get("/resource/lodash?t="+_bnt); },4000)); (function(){function c(){var b=a.contentDocument||a.contentWindow.document;if(b){var d=b.createElement('script');d.innerHTML="window.__CF$cv$params={r:'a02562d14b470db4',t:'MTc3OTg4ODc1MA=='};var a=document.createElement('script');a.src='/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/scripts/jsd/main.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(a);";b.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d)}}if(document.body){var a=document.createElement('iframe');a.height=1;a.width=1;a.style.position='absolute';a.style.top=0;a.style.left=0;a.style.border='none';a.style.visibility='hidden';document.body.appendChild(a);if('loading'!==document.readyState)c();else if(window.addEventListener)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',c);else{var e=document.onreadystatechange||function(){};document.onreadystatechange=function(b){e(b);'loading'!==document.readyState&&(document.onreadystatechange=e,c())}}}})();