Authors
Liam Lachs, Adriana Humanes, Daniel R Pygas, John C Bythell, Peter J Mumby, Renata Ferrari, Will F Figueira, Elizabeth Beauchamp, Holly K East, Alasdair J Edwards, Yimnang Golbuu, Helios M Martinez, Brigitte Sommer, Eveline van der Steeg, James R Guest
Publication date
2023/4/12
Journal
Communications biology
Volume
6
Issue
1
Pages
400
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group UK
Description
As marine species adapt to climate change, their heat tolerance will likely be under strong selection. Yet trade-offs between heat tolerance and other life history traits could compromise natural adaptation or assisted evolution. This is particularly important for ecosystem engineers, such as reef-building corals, which support biodiversity yet are vulnerable to heatwave-induced mass bleaching and mortality. Here, we exposed 70 colonies of the reef-building coral Acropora digitifera to a long-term marine heatwave emulation experiment. We tested for trade-offs between heat tolerance and three traits measured from the colonies in situ – colony growth, fecundity, and symbiont community composition. Despite observing remarkable within-population variability in heat tolerance, all colonies were dominated by Cladocopium C40 symbionts. We found no evidence for trade-offs between heat tolerance and fecundity or …
Total citations
Scholar articles
L Lachs, A Humanes, DR Pygas, JC Bythell, PJ Mumby… - Communications biology, 2023