Dataset Information

Towards the Development of Standardized Bioassays for Corals: Acute Toxicity of the UV Filter Benzophenone-3 to Scleractinian Coral Larvae.

ABSTRACT: Coral reefs have been declining globally at a historically unprecedented rate. Ultraviolet (UV) filters used in sunscreens may contribute to this decline at local scales, which has already led to bans on various organic UV filters in some regions. However, the underlying studies for these bans demonstrated significant flaws in the experimental design due to a lack of validated and standardized testing methods for corals. This study aimed to investigate options for the development of a standard acute toxicity test for the larval stage of scleractinian corals. Planula larvae of two brooding (Leptastrea purpurea and Tubastraea faulkneri) and two spawning (Acropora digitifera and A. millepora) species were exposed to the organic UV filter benzophenone-3 (BP3) for 48 h under static conditions. We observed interspecific variations in toxicity, with A. digitifera being the most sensitive (LC₅₀ = 0.75 µg L^-1) and T. faulkneri the least sensitive (LC₅₀ = 2951.24 µg L^-1) species. Inhibition of settlement was found to be a useful endpoint leading to an EC₅₀ of 1.84 µg L^-1 in L. purpurea larvae. Although the analytical challenges of measuring lipophilic substances in small volume test setups remain, the here applied test design and selected endpoints are suitable for further validation and subsequent standardization.

SUBMITTER: Miller IB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9146638 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Towards the Development of Standardized Bioassays for Corals: Acute Toxicity of the UV Filter Benzophenone-3 to Scleractinian Coral Larvae.

Miller Ingo B IB Moeller Mareen M Kellermann Matthias Y MY Nietzer Samuel S Di Mauro Valentina V Kamyab Elham E Pawlowski Sascha S Petersen-Thiery Mechtild M Schupp Peter J PJ

Toxics 20220510 5

Coral reefs have been declining globally at a historically unprecedented rate. Ultraviolet (UV) filters used in sunscreens may contribute to this decline at local scales, which has already led to bans on various organic UV filters in some regions. However, the underlying studies for these bans demonstrated significant flaws in the experimental design due to a lack of validated and standardized testing methods for corals. This study aimed to investigate options for the development of a standard a ...[more]

PMID: 35622657

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Project description:Bleaching is one of the most relevant factors implicated in the integrity of coral reef ecosystems, with the increasing frequency and intensity of damaging events representing a serious threat to reef biodiversity. Here, we analyzed changes in coral-associated bacteria from three types of non-bleached and bleached scleractinian corals (Acropora digitifera, Galaxea fascicularis, and Porites pukoensis) in Hainan Luhuitou peninsula coastal areas. The community structure of symbiotic bacteria differed significantly among the three apparently healthy corals. The bleached corals had higher bacterial alpha diversity and some specific bacteria genera, including Ruegeria, Methyloceanibacter, Filomicrobium, Halioglobus, Rubripirellula, Rhodopirellula, Silicimonas, Blastopirellula, Sva0996 marine group, Woeseia, and unclassified_c_Gammaproteobacteria, were consistently increased in bleached groups. Network analysis revealed significantly different degrees of modularity between bleached and non-bleached groups at the bacterial genus level, and a higher proportion of links was dominated by positive co-occurrences. Functional prediction analysis illustrated that coral-associated bacteria remained relatively consistent in the bleached and non-bleached groups. Structure equation modeling revealed that the bacterial community diversity and function were directly influenced by host and environment factors. These findings suggested that coral-associated bacterial responses to bleaching occur in a host-dependent manner, informing novel strategies for restoring coral and aiding adaption to bleaching stress. IMPORTANCE Accumulating evidence indicates that coral-associated bacteria play an important role in the health of holobionts. However, the variability of the symbiotic bacterial community structure among coral species with different coral health statuses remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated three apparent non-bleached (healthy) and bleached coral species (sampled in situ), involving related symbiotic bacterial profiles, including composition, alpha diversity, network relationship, and potential function. Structural equation modeling analysis was used to analyze the relationship between coral status and abiotic and biotic factors. The bacterial community structure of different groups was shown to exhibit host-specific traits. Both host and environmental impacts had primary effects on coral-associated microbial communities. Future studies are needed to identify the mechanisms that mediate divergent microbial consortia.

Project description:Background Coral reefs belong to the most ecologically and economically important ecosystems on our planet. Yet, they are under steady decline worldwide due to rising sea surface temperatures, disease, and pollution. Understanding the molecular impact of these stressors on different coral species is imperative in order to predict how coral populations will respond to this continued disturbance. The use of molecular tools such as microarrays has provided deep insight into the molecular stress response of corals. Here, we have performed comparative genomic hybridizations (CGH) with different coral species to an Acropora palmata microarray platform containing 13,546 cDNA clones in order to identify potentially rapidly evolving genes and to determine the suitability of existing microarray platforms for use in gene expression studies (via heterologous hybridization). Results Our results showed that the current microarray platform for A. palmata is able to provide biological relevant information for a wide variety of coral species covering both the complex clade as well the robust clade. Analysis of the fraction of highly diverged genes showed a significantly higher amount of genes without annotation corroborating previous findings that point towards a higher rate of divergence for taxonomically restricted genes. Among the genes with annotation, we found many mitochondrial genes to be highly diverged in M. faveolata when compared to A. palmata, while the majority of nuclear encoded genes maintained an average divergence rate. Conclusions The use of present microarray platforms for transcriptional analyses in different coral species will greatly enhance the understanding of the molecular basis of stress and health and highlight evolutionary differences between scleractinian coral species. On a genomic basis, we show that cDNA arrays can be used to identify patterns of divergence. Mitochondrion-encoded genes seem to have diverged faster than nuclear encoded genes in robust corals. Accordingly, this needs to be taken into account when using mitochondrial markers for scleractinian phylogenies.

Dataset Information

Towards the Development of Standardized Bioassays for Corals: Acute Toxicity of the UV Filter Benzophenone-3 to Scleractinian Coral Larvae.

Publications

Towards the Development of Standardized Bioassays for Corals: Acute Toxicity of the UV Filter Benzophenone-3 to Scleractinian Coral Larvae.

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