Rapid adaptive responses to climate change in corals

Gergely Torda*, Jennifer M. Donelson, Manuel Aranda, Daniel J. Barshis, Line Bay, Michael L. Berumen, David G. Bourne, Neal Cantin, Sylvain Foret, Mikhail Matz, David J. Miller, Aurelie Moya, Hollie M. Putnam, Timothy Ravasi, Madeleine J.H. Van Oppen, Rebecca Vega Thurber, Jeremie Vidal-Dupiol, Christian R. Voolstra, Sue Ann Watson, Emma WhitelawBette L. Willis, Philip L. Munday

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    308 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Pivotal to projecting the fate of coral reefs is the capacity of reef-building corals to acclimatize and adapt to climate change. Transgenerational plasticity may enable some marine organisms to acclimatize over several generations and it has been hypothesized that epigenetic processes and microbial associations might facilitate adaptive responses. However, current evidence is equivocal and understanding of the underlying processes is limited. Here, we discuss prospects for observing transgenerational plasticity in corals and the mechanisms that could enable adaptive plasticity in the coral holobiont, including the potential role of epigenetics and coral-associated microbes. Well-designed and strictly controlled experiments are needed to distinguish transgenerational plasticity from other forms of plasticity, and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and their relative importance compared with genetic adaptation.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)627-636
    Number of pages10
    JournalNature Climate Change
    Volume7
    Issue number9
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2017

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