Evaluation of thermal acclimation capacity in corals with different thermal histories based on catalase concentrations and antioxidant potentials

Abstract

Colonies of Pocillopora damicornis from Kaneohe Bay and colonies of Pocillopora meandrina from a thermal outfall site and a control site at Kahe were exposed to three different temperatures (29, 32 and 33 °C) in outdoor aquaria on running water tables for five days. Samples ( n = 3) were taken from each treatment at 0800, 1200 and 1600 h. ELISAs using catalase antibodies and ferric reducing/antioxidant potential (FRAP) assays were run on the samples to determine how antioxidant levels changed throughout the experiment. Light levels during the experiment were highest in the morning (≈ 1000–1500 μmol quanta m − 2 s − 1 ) and decreased to 25–60 μmol quanta m − 2 s − 1 by 1100 h and remained low until sunset. Antioxidant concentrations were highest in the morning for P. damicornis from Kaneohe and P. meandrina outfall samples. There was no significant change through the day for P. meandrina samples from the control site. The difference in response between the outfall samples and the control samples suggests that P. meandrina has acclimated to elevated temperatures found at the outfall site.