The chemical diversity of scleractinian corals is closely related to their physiological,ecological,and evolutionary status,and can be influenced by both genetic background and environmental variables.To investigate i...The chemical diversity of scleractinian corals is closely related to their physiological,ecological,and evolutionary status,and can be influenced by both genetic background and environmental variables.To investigate intraspecific variation in the metabolites of these corals,the metabolomes of four species(Pocillopora meandrina,Seriatopora hystrix,Acropora formosa,and Fungia fungites)from the South China Sea were analyzed using untargeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.The results showed that a variety of metabolites,including amino acids,peptides,lipids,and other small molecules,were differentially distributed among the four species,leading to their significant separation in principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering plots.The higher content of storage lipids in branching corals(P.meandrina,S.hystrix,and A.formosa)compared to the solitary coral(F.fungites)may be due to the high densities of zooxanthellae in their tissues.The high content of aromatic amino acids in P.meandrina may help the coral protect against ultraviolet damage and promote growth in shallow seawater,while nitrogen-rich compounds may enable S.hystrix to survive in various challenging environments.The metabolites enriched in F.fungites,including amino acids,dipeptides,phospholipids,and other small molecules,may be related to the composition of the coral's mucus and its life-history,such as its ability to move freely and live solitarily.Studying the chemical diversity of scleractinian corals not only provides insight into their environmental adaptation,but also holds potential for the chemotaxonomy of corals and the discovery of novel bioactive natural products.展开更多
Scleractinian corals exhibit a dual trophic pattern of autotrophic photosynthesis and heterotrophic predation.However,whether corals can adjust their trophic status under contrasting environmental conditions remains u...Scleractinian corals exhibit a dual trophic pattern of autotrophic photosynthesis and heterotrophic predation.However,whether corals can adjust their trophic status under contrasting environmental conditions remains unclear.In our study,70 scleractinian corals(Favia palauensis)were collected from Sanya and the Xisha and Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.We measured the zooxanthellae density(ZD)andδ^(13)C of zooxanthellae(δ^(13)C_(z))and host tissue(δ^(13)C_(h))and analyzed the difference betweenδ^(13)C_(h) andδ^(13)C_(z)(i.e.,△^(h-z)^(13)C).The relatively high ZD andδ^(13)C_(z) values in the samples from Sanya indicate that these corals might have higher photosynthetic rates and autotrophic abilities than those from Xisha and Nansha.In contrast,the relatively lowδ^(13)C_(h) and△^(h-z)^(13)C values in the samples from Xisha and Nansha suggest that these corals might have a higher heterotrophic ability than those from Sanya.In addition,we tested the coral tissue biomass and skeletalδ^(13)C(δ^(13)C_(s))in the samples from Sanya and examined their correlations with△^(h-z)^(13)C.The results showed a negative correlation,indicating that the more the organic material produced by the coral,the stronger its heterotrophic ability.Our results show that corals can adjust their trophic status under different environmental and physiological conditions,which is essential for increasing their adaptability to different environmental conditions.展开更多
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 22264003,42090041 and 42030502the Guangxi Natural Science Fund Project under contract Nos AD17129063,AA17204074 and 2018GXNSFAA281354the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of College Students from Guangxi University under contract Nos 202210593888 and202210593890。
文摘The chemical diversity of scleractinian corals is closely related to their physiological,ecological,and evolutionary status,and can be influenced by both genetic background and environmental variables.To investigate intraspecific variation in the metabolites of these corals,the metabolomes of four species(Pocillopora meandrina,Seriatopora hystrix,Acropora formosa,and Fungia fungites)from the South China Sea were analyzed using untargeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.The results showed that a variety of metabolites,including amino acids,peptides,lipids,and other small molecules,were differentially distributed among the four species,leading to their significant separation in principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering plots.The higher content of storage lipids in branching corals(P.meandrina,S.hystrix,and A.formosa)compared to the solitary coral(F.fungites)may be due to the high densities of zooxanthellae in their tissues.The high content of aromatic amino acids in P.meandrina may help the coral protect against ultraviolet damage and promote growth in shallow seawater,while nitrogen-rich compounds may enable S.hystrix to survive in various challenging environments.The metabolites enriched in F.fungites,including amino acids,dipeptides,phospholipids,and other small molecules,may be related to the composition of the coral's mucus and its life-history,such as its ability to move freely and live solitarily.Studying the chemical diversity of scleractinian corals not only provides insight into their environmental adaptation,but also holds potential for the chemotaxonomy of corals and the discovery of novel bioactive natural products.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42090041,42030502&41663001)the Laboratory for Marine Geology,Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology(Grant No.MGQNLMTD201801)the Guangxi Scientific Projects(Grant Nos.AD17129063,AA17204074&2020GXNSFAA297026)。
文摘Scleractinian corals exhibit a dual trophic pattern of autotrophic photosynthesis and heterotrophic predation.However,whether corals can adjust their trophic status under contrasting environmental conditions remains unclear.In our study,70 scleractinian corals(Favia palauensis)were collected from Sanya and the Xisha and Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.We measured the zooxanthellae density(ZD)andδ^(13)C of zooxanthellae(δ^(13)C_(z))and host tissue(δ^(13)C_(h))and analyzed the difference betweenδ^(13)C_(h) andδ^(13)C_(z)(i.e.,△^(h-z)^(13)C).The relatively high ZD andδ^(13)C_(z) values in the samples from Sanya indicate that these corals might have higher photosynthetic rates and autotrophic abilities than those from Xisha and Nansha.In contrast,the relatively lowδ^(13)C_(h) and△^(h-z)^(13)C values in the samples from Xisha and Nansha suggest that these corals might have a higher heterotrophic ability than those from Sanya.In addition,we tested the coral tissue biomass and skeletalδ^(13)C(δ^(13)C_(s))in the samples from Sanya and examined their correlations with△^(h-z)^(13)C.The results showed a negative correlation,indicating that the more the organic material produced by the coral,the stronger its heterotrophic ability.Our results show that corals can adjust their trophic status under different environmental and physiological conditions,which is essential for increasing their adaptability to different environmental conditions.