Symbiont regulation in Stylophora pistillata during cold stress: an acclimation mechanism against oxidative stress and severe bleaching [RESEARCH ARTICLE]

This study assessed how short and long cold excursions in seawater temperature affect the physiology and biochemical processes related to oxidative stress in the reef-building coral Stylophora pistillata. We provide, for the first time, direct evidence that the mechanisms underpinning cold stress and bleaching are related to the production of reactive oxygen species, and that rapid expulsion of a significant proportion of the symbiont population by the host during cooling conditions is an acclimation mechanism to avoid oxidative stress and, ultimately, severe bleaching. Furthermore, this study is one of the first to show that upwelling conditions (short-term cold stress+nutrient enrichment) can provoke a more severe oxidative stress condition in corals than cold stress alone.
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - Category: Biology Authors: Tags: Ecophysiology: responses to environmental stressors and change RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research