Journal: TBD
Acclimatization potential of organisms is generated through the modulation of gene expression to create phenotypic change. Phenotypic plasticity, the ability for a single genotype to produce a variety of phenotypes in response to environmental conditions, can facilitate rapid beneficial acclimatization to assist in coral survival. In a prior study, we experimentally enriched Pocillopora spp. corals with dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphate for 15 months on an oligotrophic fore reef in Mo'orea, French Polynesia. Our physiological analysis of coral fragments and thermal performance show that in an oligotrophic fore reef environment, nutrient enrichment can cause changes in coral endosymbiont physiology that increases the performance of the coral holobiont. To assess the molecular underpinnings of the enhanced thermal performance due to chronic low-level nutrient enrichment, we assessed gene expression with RNASeq and the potential for gene expression regulation through whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS). Our results suggest that gene products associated with stress response, transportation, immune response, and cellular nitrogen compounds were deferentially expressed in the nutrient enriched treatment. Due to the impact of various gene products on biological and molecular processes in the nutrient enriched treatment, we elucidate the pathways that have a role on the phenotypic response we observed in our previous experiments. By understanding what pathways are impacted due to environmental variation, we can further determine how biological and molecular processes will respond to facilitate acclimatization.
Link: TBD
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