Predictive models for the selection of thermally tolerant corals based on offspring survival

Wild corals were collected on the Northern and Central regions of the Great Barrier Reef at depths of ~4m. The colonies were transferred to the National Sea Simulator at AIMS. Spawning occurred on 26th to the 29th of November 2018, and experiments were carried out from Nov 2018 until March 2019.Thermal heat test experiments were conducted following coral spawning and purebred / hybrid offspring were produced. Larvae were reared and subjected to a heat tests. Larval survival was counted from 0 to 56 hours at 27°C and 35.5°C.Larvae were then induced to settle, exposed to symbionts and then exposed to heat stress. Both larvae and juveniles were sampled for survival, counted at 0 and after 58 days at 27 and 32°C treatments. Individual larvae were counted within replicate net-wells, in replicate, plates within each temperature treatment. Each larval survival measurement represents a discrete sample measurement.Juvenile survival, bleaching and growth were assessed, survival statistical analyses were run in R (v. 3.6.0) and amplicon Miseq and RNAseq sequencing of Symbiodiniaceae taxa in coral juveniles.See Quigley & van Oppen (2022) for full details.

本研究的野生珊瑚样本采自大堡礁（Great Barrier Reef）北部与中部海域，采集水深约4米。珊瑚群体被转运至澳大利亚海洋科学研究所（Australian Institute of Marine Science, AIMS）的国家海洋模拟器设施。2018年11月26日至29日发生珊瑚产卵事件，整套实验周期为2018年11月至2019年3月。珊瑚产卵后随即开展热应激实验，成功繁育出纯种与杂交子代幼体。研究人员对幼虫进行饲养并开展热应激处理：分别在27℃与35.5℃条件下，统计0至56小时内的幼虫存活率。随后诱导幼虫附着，使其接触共生微生物，之后再次施加热应激处理。对幼虫与幼体均进行存活情况取样统计：分别在处理即刻（0时刻）以及27℃、32℃条件下处理58天后计数存活个体数。每个温度处理组均设置重复培养板与重复网孔，对单个幼虫进行计数；每一次幼虫存活率检测均为独立的样本测量值。同时评估幼体的存活率、白化程度与生长状况；存活率的统计分析使用R（v. 3.6.0）软件完成，此外对珊瑚幼体内的虫黄藻科（Symbiodiniaceae）类群进行扩增子MiSeq测序与RNA测序（RNAseq）。完整实验细节请参阅Quigley与van Oppen（2022）的相关研究。