Rapid evolution fuels transcriptional plasticity to ocean acidification

• Published in: Global Change Biology
• Main Authors: Kang, Jingliang, Nagelkerken, Ivan, Rummer, Jodie L., Rodolfo-Metalpa, Riccardo, Munday, Philip L., Ravasi, Timothy, Schunter, Celia Marei
• Other Authors: Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, School of Biological Sciences & The Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia, ENTROPIE – UMR 9220 (CNRS, IRD, UR, UNC, IFREMER), IRD Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Nouméa cedex, New Caledonia, Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Japan, State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Wiley 2022
• Subjects: Milne Bay; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/678172; https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16119

Ocean acidification (OA) is postulated to affect the physiology, behavior, and life-history of marine species, but potential for acclimation or adaptation to elevated pCO2 in wild populations remains largely untested. We measured brain transcriptomes of six coral reef fish species at a natural volcanic CO2 seep and an adjacent control reef in Papua New Guinea. We show that elevated pCO2 induced common molecular responses related to circadian rhythm and immune system but different magnitudes of molecular response across the six species. Notably, elevated transcriptional plasticity was associated with core circadian genes affecting the regulation of intracellular pH and neural activity in Acanthochromis polyacanthus. Gene expression patterns were reversible in this species as evidenced upon reduction of CO2 following a natural storm-event. Compared with other species, Ac. polyacanthus has a more rapid evolutionary rate and more positively selected genes in key functions under the influence of elevated CO2, thus fueling increased transcriptional plasticity. Our study reveals the basis to variable gene expression changes across species, with some species possessing evolved molecular toolkits to cope with future OA. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Grant/Award Number: OSR-2015-CRG4-2541; The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University; the French National Research Agency, Grant/Award Number: ANR15CE02-0006- 01 and ANR-17- ERC2- 0009; the University of Hong Kong start- up grant; the Australian Research Council (ARC) and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Grant/Award Number: FT120100183 We are grateful to the local communities for access to their reef and to the National Research Institute and the Milne Bay Provincial Research Committee for approval to conduct research at this site. Thanks to Prof. Ralph Mana (School of Natural and Physical Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea) for his invaluable support to obtain PNG permits. We are grateful to the population ...