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Elevated temperature enhances normal early embryonic development in the coral Platygyra acuta under low salinity conditions

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Abstract

To better understand the possible consequences of climate change on reef building scleractinian corals in a marginal environment, laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the interactive effects of changes in salinity and temperature on percent fertilization success and early embryonic development of the coral Platygyra acuta. In the present study, a salinity of 24 psu (ambient 32 psu) reduced fertilization success by 60 %. Normal embryonic development was reduced by >80 % at 26 psu (ambient 33 psu) with 100 % abnormal development at 22 psu under ambient temperature. Elevated temperature (+3 °C) above the ambient spawning temperature did not show any negative effects on fertilization success. However, there was a trend for more abnormal embryos to develop at elevated temperature in the 2 d of the spawning event. The interactive effects between salinity and temperature are statistically significant only on normal embryonic development of P. acuta, but not on its fertilization success. Salinity was revealed to be the main factor affecting both fertilization success and normal embryonic development. Interestingly, the much lower fertilization success (76 %) observed in the second day of spawning (Trial 2) under ambient temperature recovered to 99 % success under elevated (+3 °C) temperature conditions. Moreover, elevated temperature enhanced normal early embryonic development under lowered salinity (26 psu). This antagonistic interactive effect was consistently observed in two successive nights of spawning. Overall, our results indicate that, in terms of its fertilization success and embryonic development, P. acuta is the most tolerant coral species to reduced salinity thus far reported in the literature. Elevated temperature, at least that within the tolerable range of the corals, could apparently alleviate the potential negative effects from salinity stresses. This mitigating role of elevated temperature appears not to have been reported on corals before.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partly supported by Hong Kong Research Grant Council General Research Fund No. 460013 and the Group Research Funds 3110036 and 3110042 from the Chinese University of Hong Kong Research Committee. We thank the Marine Parks Division of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong SAR Government for permission to work in Tung Ping Chau Marine Park. We also thank YH Yung and HB Yeung and many other dive buddies for the technical and diving supports in carrying out this study. The advice from Profs. TF Chan and KMY Leung on statistical analysis is gratefully acknowledged. Comments from the reviewers improved the manuscript significantly.

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  1. Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China

    Apple Pui Yi Chui & Put Ang Jr.

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  1. Apple Pui Yi Chui
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  2. Put Ang Jr.
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Correspondence to Put Ang Jr..

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Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Ruth Gates

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Chui, A.P.Y., Ang, P. Elevated temperature enhances normal early embryonic development in the coral Platygyra acuta under low salinity conditions. Coral Reefs 34, 461–469 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-014-1247-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-014-1247-x

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