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Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open
Journal article
Heat tolerance varies considerably within a reef-building coral species on the Great Barrier Reef
Communications earth & environment, Vol.5(1), 525
23/09/2024
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Abstract
Reef-building coral populations face unprecedented threats from climate warming. Standing variation in heat tolerance is crucial for evolutionary processes necessary for corals to persist. Yet, the spatial distribution of heat-tolerant corals and the underlying factors that determine heat tolerance are poorly understood from individual to ecosystem scales. Here, we show extensive variation in the heat tolerance of a foundational coral species complex across the Great Barrier Reef. Thermal thresholds of 569 individuals differed by up to 7.3 degrees C across scales from meters to >1250 km. Variation in thresholds among reefs was consistent with local adaptation and acclimatization to historical and recent thermal history. However, variation within reefs was sometimes greater than among reefs and largely unexplained by environmental predictors, putative host species, or symbiont communities. This indicates that within-reef heat tolerance differences may be informed primarily by other factors, such as adaptive genomic variation. We anticipate our findings will inform conservation and restoration actions, including targeting individuals for selective breeding of enhanced heat tolerance.
Details
- Title
- Heat tolerance varies considerably within a reef-building coral species on the Great Barrier Reef
- Creators
- Melissa S. Naugle - Southern Cross University, National Marine Science CentreHugo Denis - Southern Cross University, National Marine Science CentreVéronique J. L. Mocellin - Australian Institute of Marine SciencePatrick W. Laffy - Australian Institute of Marine ScienceIva Popovic - Australian Institute of Marine ScienceLine K. Bay - Australian Institute of Marine ScienceEmily J. Howells - Southern Cross University, National Marine Science Centre
- Publication Details
- Communications earth & environment, Vol.5(1), 525
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 12
- Grant note
- This work was supported by the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP), funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
- Identifiers
- 991013224406802368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2024
- Academic Unit
- National Marine Science Centre; Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article