Abstract
Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation have been shown to participate in plastic responses to environmental change in a wide range of organisms, including scleractinian corals. Unfortunately, the current understanding of the links between environmental signals, epigenetic modifications, and the subsequent consequences for acclimatory phenotypic changes remain obscure. Such a knowledge gap extends also to the dynamic nature of epigenetic changes, hampering our ability to ascertain the magnitude and extent of these responses under natural conditions. The present work aims to shed light on these subjects by examining temporal changes in genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation in the staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis in the island of Culebra, PR. During a 17-month period, a total of 162 polymorphic loci were identified using Methylation-Sensitive Amplified Polymorphism (MSAP). Among them, 83 of these fragments displayed changes in DNA methylation changes that were significantly correlated to seasonal variation as determined mostly by changes in sea water temperature. Remarkably, the observed time-dependent change in DNA methylation patterns is consistent across coral genets, coral source sites and site-specific conditions studied. Overall, these results are consistent with a conserved epigenetic response to seasonal environmental variation. These findings highlight the importance of including seasonal variability into experimental designs investigating the role of epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation in responses to stress.
Highlights
IntroductionHermatypic (i.e., reef-building) corals play a critical role as ecosystem foundation species
Hermatypic corals play a critical role as ecosystem foundation species
Since DNA methylation data did not differ among sites, it was possible to use data from NOAA’s weather buoy (CLBP4) to describe changes in temperature for all study sites, and data derived from climatological models (CMIP5 IPCC) for light irradiance
Summary
Hermatypic (i.e., reef-building) corals play a critical role as ecosystem foundation species. It is well known that corals are sensitive to water temperature fluctuations (Cai et al, 2016; Hume et al, 2016), with current conditions provoking frequent bleaching events in reefs worldwide when temperature increases 1–2◦C above normal summer maximum (Hoegh-Guldberg, 1999; Hughes et al, 2003). This susceptibility, along with the fast-paced progression of global change has generated concerns about the ability of corals to acclimatize and adapt to these conditions. Even if these adjustments were to occur, they may fall short when facing altered seasonal regimes and unprecedented stress events
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