Ocean acidification influences host DNA methylation and phenotypic plasticity in environmentally susceptible corals.
As climate change challenges organismal fitness by creating a phenotype-environment mismatch, phenotypic plasticity generated by epigenetic mechanisms (e.g., DNA methylation) can provide a temporal buffer for genetic adaptation. Epigenetic mechanisms may be crucial for sessile benthic marine organisms, such as reef-building corals, where ocean acidification (OA) and warming reflect in strong negative responses. We tested the potential for scleractinian corals to exhibit phenotypic plasticity associated with a change in DNA methylation in response to OA. Clonal coral fragments of the environmentally sensitivePocillopora damicornisand more environmentally robustMontipora capitatawere exposed to fluctuating ambient pH (7.9-7.65) and low pH (7.6-7.35) conditions in common garden tanks for ~6 weeks.M. capitataresponded weakly, or acclimated more quickly, to OA, with no difference in calcification, minimal separation of metabolomic profiles, and no change in DNA methylation between treatments. Conversely,P. damicornisexhibited diminished calcification at low pH, stronger separation in metabolomic profiles, and responsiveness of DNA methylation to treatment. Our data suggest corals differ in their temporal dynamics and sensitivity for environmentally triggered real-time epigenetic reprogramming. The generation of potentially heritable plasticity via environmental induction of DNA methylation provides an avenue for assisted evolution applications in corals under rapid climate change.
Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology University of Hawaii Kaneohe HI USA.
Hollie M
0000-0003-2322-3269
HM
Putnam
Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology University of Hawaii Kaneohe HI USA.
Jennifer M
JM
Davidson
Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology University of Hawaii Kaneohe HI USA.
Ruth D
RD
Gates
acclimatization; coral; epigenetics; metabolomics
Ann Rev Mar Sci. 2009;1:169-92
21141034
J Exp Biol. 2006 Jun;209(Pt 12):2362-7
16731812
J Exp Biol. 2015 Aug;218(Pt 15):2365-72
26246609
Biotechnol Lett. 2010 Sep;32(9):1199-205
20455074
PeerJ. 2015 Aug 04;3:e1136
26290792
Nat Neurosci. 2004 Aug;7(8):847-54
15220929
Science. 2014 May 23;344(6186):895-8
24762535
Genome Res. 2007 May;17(5):625-31
17420183
Nat Rev Genet. 2008 Jun;9(6):465-76
18463664
Genes Dev. 2002 Jan 1;16(1):6-21
11782440
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Apr 14;112(15):4696-701
25825763
Nat Rev Genet. 2013 Feb;14(2):100-12
23329111
Nat Rev Genet. 2002 Sep;3(9):662-73
12209141
Nature. 2015 Sep 17;525(7569):372-5
26331546
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Jul 2;110(27):11044-9
23776217
Evol Appl. 2015 Dec 18;9(9):1082-1095
27695517
Integr Comp Biol. 2012 Jul;52(1):5-15
22544287
Nature. 2004 May 27;429(6990):457-63
15164071
Nat Rev Genet. 2012 Apr 03;13(5):343-57
22473383
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Feb 24;112(8):2307-13
25646461
Ecol Evol. 2013 Sep;3(10):3379-87
24223276
BMC Genomics. 2010 Aug 27;11:483
20799955
Proc Biol Sci. 2016 Jan 13;283(1822):
26763699
New Phytol. 2005 Oct;168(1):81-91
16159323
Front Physiol. 2012 Jan 02;2:116
22232607
Annu Rev Physiol. 1996;58:539-63
8815808
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Jan 22;110(4):1387-92
23297204
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Mar;80(5):1387-91
6572396
Nature. 1959 Jun 13;183(4676):1654-5
13666847
Metabolites. 2015 Feb 16;5(1):74-99
25693143
Ecol Lett. 2008 Feb;11(2):106-15
18021243
Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2003 Jul;135(3):533-7
12831773
Epigenetics. 2011 Jul;6(7):791-7
21636976
PLoS One. 2014 Oct 29;9(10):e111274
25354140
Cell. 1999 Oct 29;99(3):247-57
10555141
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 May 11;107(19):8689-94
20395551
PeerJ. 2013 Nov 21;1:e215
24282674
Evol Appl. 2016 Jul 06;9(9):1133-1146
27695521
BMC Genomics. 2014 Dec 15;15:1109
25511458
ISME J. 2016 Mar;10(3):788-92
26241503
Zoology (Jena). 2013 Oct;116(5):262-9
23992772
Nat Rev Genet. 2012 Jan 04;13(2):97-109
22215131
Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2011 Jun;14(3):267-74
21450514
Evol Appl. 2012 Feb;5(2):144-53
25568037
Proc Biol Sci. 2014 Jan 08;281(1777):20132179
24403326
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Aug 7;109(32):E2183-91
22733782
Evol Appl. 2014 Jan;7(1):104-22
24454551
Methods Mol Biol. 2013;1055:129-47
23963908
Integr Comp Biol. 2013 Aug;53(2):359-72
23620251
J Exp Biol. 2008 Apr;211(Pt 7):1050-6
18344478
Sci Rep. 2015 Jun 03;5:10847
26039184
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Mar 27;109(13):4968-73
22416128
J Nutr. 2002 Aug;132(8 Suppl):2393S-2400S
12163699
Mar Drugs. 2010 Sep 30;8(10):2546-68
21116405
Front Microbiol. 2012 Aug 27;3:316
22969755
New Phytol. 2010 Mar;185(4):1108-18
20003072
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Jun;70(6):1875-7
4515944
Proc Biol Sci. 2014 Sep 7;281(1790):
25056628
Biochim Biophys Acta. 2011 Aug;1809(8):459-68
21515434