Thermally tolerant symbionts may explain Caribbean octocoral resilience to heat stress

Published source details Pelosi J., Eaton K.M., Mychajliw S., terHorst C.P. & Coffroth M.A. (2021) Thermally tolerant symbionts may explain Caribbean octocoral resilience to heat stress. Coral Reefs, 40, 1113-1125.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Cultivate corals in an ex-situ nursery Action Link

Cultivate corals in an ex-situ nursery

A replicated, controlled study in 2016–2019 in laboratory conditions in Florida and New York, USA (Pelosi et al. 2021) found that coral polyps Antillogorgia bipinnata cultivated at 26°C had higher survival than those cultivated at 30°C. Polyp survival after 52 days was higher at 26°C (48–74%) than at 30°C (15–52%). An average of 40–100% of polyps took up symbionts Breviolum antillogorgium, with statistically similar uptake for different temperatures and symbiont genotypes. The number of symbionts/polyp taken up after 69 days varied with temperature and genotype (see paper for details). In 2018, branches of coral were collected from a reef and brought into the laboratory. Coral larvae were collected and settled in polypropylene containers. Coral symbionts of one of five genotypes were added to containers (see paper for details of schedule), and 9–10 containers/genotype were kept at 26°C and 6–8 containers/genotype were kept at 30°C. Symbiont cells had been collected from a reef two years previously and maintained in the lab for two years at 26°C (three genotypes) or 30°C (two genotypes). Survival was recorded every 3–4 days, and polyps were visually inspected to assess uptake of the symbionts.

(Summarised by: William Morgan)