Chemical mutagenesis and thermal selection of coral photosymbionts induce adaptation to heat stress with trait trade‐offs

Evolutionary Applications · 6 authors, 3 centres

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This in vitro experimental evolution study exposed Durusdinium trenchii, Fugacium kawagutii, and Symbiodinium pilosum to ethyl methanesulfonate and then to thermal selection at elevated temperatures over 4.6–5 years. All three heat‐evolved lineages displayed increased photochemical efficiency under thermal stress relative to their wild‐type counterparts. Trade‐offs were also detected, including reduced growth in the D. trenchii heat‐evolved lineage at both temperatures, reduced nitrate uptake in S. pilosum, and altered phosphate uptake patterns in D. trenchii. Oxidative stress remained low across treatments. The relevance of these in vitro improvements for coral bleaching resilience in hospite remains untested in the present study.

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preclinical research

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ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10519419

Chemical mutagenesis and thermal selection of coral photosymbionts induce adaptation to heat stress with trait trade‐offs

Evolutionary Applications

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ABSTRACT

Abstract Despite the relevance of heat‐evolved microalgal endosymbionts to coral reef restoration, to date, few Symbiodiniaceae strains have been thermally enhanced via experimental evolution. Here, we investigated whether the thermal tolerance of Symbiodiniaceae can be increased through chemical mutagenesis followed by thermal selection. Strains of Durusdinium trenchii , Fugacium kawagutii and Symbiodinium pilosum were exposed to ethyl methanesulfonate to induce random mutagenesis, and then underwent thermal selection at high temperature (31/33°C). After 4.6–5 years of experimental evolution, the in vitro thermal tolerance of these strains was assessed via reciprocal transplant experiments to ambient (27°C) and elevated (31/35°C) temperatures. Growth, photosynthetic efficiency, oxidative stress and nutrient use were measured to compare thermal tolerance between strains. Heat‐evolved D. trenchii , F. kawagutii and S. pilosum strains all exhibited increased photosynthetic efficiency under thermal stress. However, trade‐offs in growth rates were observed for the heat‐evolved D. trenchii lineage at both ambient and elevated temperatures. Reduced phosphate and nitrate uptake rates in F. kawagutii and S. pilosum heat‐evolved lineages, respectively, suggest alterations in nutrition resource usage and allocation processes may have occurred. Increased phosphate uptake rates of the heat‐evolved D. trenchii strain indicate that experimental evolution resulted in further trade‐offs in this species. These findings deepen our understanding of the physiological responses of Symbiodiniaceae cultures to thermal selection and their capacity to adapt to elevated temperatures. The new heat‐evolved Symbiodiniaceae developed here may be beneficial for coral reef restoration efforts if their enhanced thermal tolerance can be conferred in hospite .

CITATION EXPORT

Hugo J. Scharfenstein, Carlos Alvarez‐Roa, Lesa M. Peplow et al.. Chemical mutagenesis and thermal selection of coral photosymbionts induce adaptation to heat stress with trait trade‐offs. Evolutionary Applications. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13586

AUTHORS

6 · 3 CENTRES

Hugo J. Scharfenstein, Carlos Alvarez‐Roa, Lesa M. Peplow, Patrick Buerger, Wing Yan Chan, Madeleine J. H. van Oppen

1 School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia
2 Australian Institute of Marine Science Townsville Queensland Australia
3 Applied BioSciences Macquarie University Sydney New South Wales Australia