Intergenerational metabolomic signatures of bleaching resistance in corals.

ABSTRACT: Coral bleaching is one of the greatest threats to the persistence of tropical reef ecosystems. This necessitates identification of attributes associated with coral resistance and resilience to thermal stress, both within and between generations. Here, we use metabolomics to investigate the intergenerational biochemical signatures associated with heat-induced bleaching of Montipora capitata (the rice coral). By selectively breeding bleaching resistant or susceptible parents, we find metabolomic signatures of parental bleaching phenotype in sperm, eggs, embryos, larvae, and subsequent juvenile corals. Metabolome source mapping shows that these thermal tolerance signatures are from both coral host and algal symbiont, spanning a variety of molecular families. One of the strongest markers of in

SUBMITTER: Roach TNF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12214687 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature