SUPERNATURAL
| Type | Oceanographic cruise |
|---|---|
| Ship | Alis |
| Ship owner | IRD |
| Dates | 05/04/2017 - 16/04/2017 |
| Chief scientist(s) | RODOLFO METALPA Riccardo |
UMR ENTROPIE IRD Centre de Nouméa BP A5 98848 NOUMEA Cedex |
|
| DOI | 10.17600/17003400 |
| Objective | Our main hypothesis is that many marine species previously suggested (using a laboratory approach) to be sensitive to OA actually have the capacity to acclimatize and potentially to adapt to future conditions. The evidence for this hypothesis is the fact that several populations of reef forming coral species thrive well at the mangrove in Bourake where pH, oxygen and temperature conditions are similar to future climate scenarios, thus suggesting that they are capable of acclimatization or even adaptation in this naturally extreme environment. Our overarching goal is to address the following question, "How do changes in coral functional metabolism and gene expression (the host and associated microbiome) enable corals to thrive into extreme mangrove waters in New Caledonia?"; we used a combination of state-of-the-art sequencing technology and physiological rate measurements to specifically address the objectives: (a) Identify the physiological trait changes in the whole holobiont metabolic rates (i.e., respiration, photosynthetic, excretion and calcification rates as well as protein and lipid profiles), the endosymbiont (i.e. photosynthetic efficiency, chlorophyll symbiont density, cell division rates, etc); (b) Identify and contrast the biodiversity of coral endosymbiont and microbiome communities across the reef-mangrove habitat continuum; (c) Examine the functional genetic response expressed by the coral "holobiont" (the host and associated microbiome) for species common to reef and mangrove habitats; (d) Identify how changes in gene expression (objectives b-c) relate to differences in key metabolic traits that govern fitness across habitats. The related project is Fonds Pacifique, project Colimat. |
