TY - JOUR
T1 - Integrative indices for health assessment in reef corals under thermal stress
AU - Dias, Marta
AU - Madeira, Carolina
AU - Jogee, Nadia
AU - Ferreira, Ana
AU - Gouveia, Raúl
AU - Cabral, Henrique
AU - Diniz, Mário
AU - Vinagre, Catarina
N1 - info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/3599-PPCDT/127742/PT#
UID/MAR/04292/2019
UID/Multi/04378/2019
SFRH/BD/103047/2014
PY - 2020/6
Y1 - 2020/6
N2 - Global warming is one of the major causes of reef coral ecosystems’ degradation. Predictions of further rise in sea surface temperatures call for urgent action. In this study, a holistic method for bio-monitoring heat stress in reef ecosystems was tested and optimized. Long-term induction of antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress by elevated temperatures (30 °C and 32 °C) was assessed on fragments of reef-building corals and compared to control conditions (26 °C). The quantification of both oxidative stress, through lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels, and antioxidant enzyme activities: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in a long-term experiment (60 days), using seven Indo-Pacific reef-building coral species, provided useful information that was interpreted in combination with the observed partial mortality and growth rate of these organisms. These biomarkers were combined in integrated biomarker response (IBR) indices, either in an antioxidant defense mechanisms and oxidative stress response category (approach A: GST, CAT, LPO, and SOD) or in an integrated stress response category – organism performance (approach B: GST, CAT, LPO, SOD, partial mortality, and growth rate). The results of this study indicate that the IBRs were responsive to temperature treatment and dependent on the coral species. The approach B was the most adequate since it better reflected the stress suffered by the tested species, whereas the set of four biochemical biomarkers (approach A) was not enough to explain the organismal response of most of the tested species to thermal stress conditions.
AB - Global warming is one of the major causes of reef coral ecosystems’ degradation. Predictions of further rise in sea surface temperatures call for urgent action. In this study, a holistic method for bio-monitoring heat stress in reef ecosystems was tested and optimized. Long-term induction of antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress by elevated temperatures (30 °C and 32 °C) was assessed on fragments of reef-building corals and compared to control conditions (26 °C). The quantification of both oxidative stress, through lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels, and antioxidant enzyme activities: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in a long-term experiment (60 days), using seven Indo-Pacific reef-building coral species, provided useful information that was interpreted in combination with the observed partial mortality and growth rate of these organisms. These biomarkers were combined in integrated biomarker response (IBR) indices, either in an antioxidant defense mechanisms and oxidative stress response category (approach A: GST, CAT, LPO, and SOD) or in an integrated stress response category – organism performance (approach B: GST, CAT, LPO, SOD, partial mortality, and growth rate). The results of this study indicate that the IBRs were responsive to temperature treatment and dependent on the coral species. The approach B was the most adequate since it better reflected the stress suffered by the tested species, whereas the set of four biochemical biomarkers (approach A) was not enough to explain the organismal response of most of the tested species to thermal stress conditions.
KW - Biochemical biomarkers
KW - Coral performance
KW - Environment health assessment
KW - Global climate change
KW - Integrated Biomarker Response
KW - Ocean warming
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85081158081&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106230
DO - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106230
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85081158081
SN - 1470-160X
VL - 113
JO - Ecological Indicators
JF - Ecological Indicators
M1 - 106230
ER -