PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Young coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching

Reduced metabolism and increased nitrogen storage allow coral larvae to keep algae around at high temperatures

Young coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching
2024-11-12
(Press-News.org) Coral larvae reduce their metabolism and increase nitrogen uptake to resist bleaching in high temperatures, according to a study published November 12th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Ariana S. Huffmyer of the University of Washington, US, and colleagues.

High ocean temperatures cause coral bleaching, which results from the disruption of the relationship between corals and their symbiotic algae, an increasing concern as global temperatures rise. However, relatively little research has examined the effects of high temperatures during early life stages of corals.

In this study, Huffmyer and colleagues exposed coral larvae to high temperatures at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology. For three days during their first week of development, the larvae and their algal symbionts were treated to temperatures 2.5 degrees Celsius above ambient temperature, similar to expected changes in seawater due to climate change. The coral larvae showed no signs of bleaching in the heated water, and they were able to maintain rates of algal photosynthesis and the supply of carbon-based nutrition from the algae to the host. However, there was a 19% reduction in coral metabolism, as well as increased uptake and storage of nitrogen by the coral, both of which are apparent strategies that improve coral survival.

Reduced metabolism allows the coral to conserve energy and resources, also seen in adult corals during bleaching.  The change in nitrogen cycling seems to be an adaptation by the coral to limit the amount of nitrogen available to the algae, thus preventing algal overgrowth and the destabilization of the coral-algae relationship.

It remains unclear how effective these strategies are at higher temperatures and for longer durations. Further research into the details and limitations of coral reaction to high temperatures will provide crucial knowledge for predicting coral response and protecting coral reefs as global temperatures continue to rise.

The authors add, “This research reveals that coral larvae must invest in their nutritional partnership with algae to withstand stress, offering key insights into strategies to avoid bleaching in earliest life stages of corals.”

#####

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Biology: http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3002875

Citation: Huffmyer AS, Ashey J, Strand E, Chiles EN, Su X, Putnam HM (2024) Coral larvae increase nitrogen assimilation to stabilize algal symbiosis and combat bleaching under increased temperature. PLoS Biol 22(11): e3002875. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002875

Author Countries: United States

Funding: This research was supported by the National Science Foundation Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship (2205966 to ASH), National Science Foundation Rules of Life-Epigenetics (EF-1921465 to HMP), and a gift of the Washington Research Foundation to the University of Washington eScience Institute (eScience Data Science Postdoctoral Fellowship award to ASH). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Young coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching Young coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching 2 Young coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Protecting tax whistleblowers pays off

2024-11-12
AUSTIN, Texas — The federal tax gap — money people and companies owe Uncle Sam but fail to pay on time — has climbed to historic highs: $696 billion in 2022, according to the IRS. It’s money that, if recouped, could fund infrastructure or education or pay down government debt. One way to collect that money is through lawsuits prompted by corporate whistleblowers — often present or former employees who know a company’s finances and expose its transgressions. Federal law includes ...

Bioluminescent proteins made from scratch enable non-invasive, multi-functional biological imaging

Bioluminescent proteins made from scratch enable non-invasive, multi-functional biological imaging
2024-11-12
Bioluminescence is the natural chemical process of light creation in some living creatures that makes fireflies flicker and some jellyfish glow. Scientists have long been interested in borrowing the secrets of these animals' light-producing genes to create similar effects in vertebrates, for a variety of biomedical applications. UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Andy Yeh is designing completely artificial proteins that produce bioluminescence to serve as a non-invasive method for bioimaging, diagnostics, drug discovery, and more. A new paper published in the flagship journal Chem reports on a new series of bioluminescent ...

New study links air pollution with higher rates of head and neck cancer

2024-11-12
DETROIT — A recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports correlates higher levels of pollutant particulate matter to higher occurrences of head and neck aerodigestive cancer. The article, "Air Pollution Exposure and Head and Neck Cancer Incidence," is the work of a multi-institutional collaboration with researchers from Wayne State University, Johns Hopkins University and Mass General Brigham. The study was led by John Cramer, Ph.D., associate professor of otolaryngology, and John Peleman, M.D., medical resident in the Department of Otolaryngology, in the Wayne State University School of Medicine. They collaborated with Mass General Brigham, an integrated ...

LSU researchers excavate earliest ancient Maya salt works

LSU researchers excavate earliest ancient Maya salt works
2024-11-12
The team was led by LSU Alumni Professor Heather McKillop, who first discovered wooden buildings preserved there below the sea floor, along with associated artifacts, and the only ancient Maya wooden canoe paddle in 2004. Her key collaborator, Assistant Professor Elizabeth Sills at the University of Texas at Tyler, began working with McKillop as a master’s student and then as a doctoral student at LSU. Since their initial discovery of wood below the sea floor in Belize, the team has uncovered an extensive pattern of sites that include “salt kitchens” for boiling ...

Building a diverse wildland fire workforce to meet future challenges

2024-11-12
Every year around this time, California’s wildland firefighters hold their breath as hot, dry winds threaten to spread flames across the state. As such conflagrations grow in size and severity throughout the Western U.S., the strain on fire managers has intensified. A new report from Stanford University’s Climate and Energy Policy Program provides a blueprint for fostering a more inclusive, diverse and well-supported workforce to meet the increasing need for fire mitigation and management. “The wellbeing of the wildland fire workforce has ...

MBARI researchers discover remarkable new swimming sea slug in the deep sea

MBARI researchers discover remarkable new swimming sea slug in the deep sea
2024-11-12
MBARI researchers have discovered a remarkable new species of sea slug that lives in the deep sea. Bathydevius caudactylus swims through the ocean’s midnight zone with a large gelatinous hood and paddle-like tail, and lights up with brilliant bioluminescence. The team published a description of the animal, nicknamed the “mystery mollusc,” in the journal Deep-Sea Research Part I. “Thanks to MBARI’s advanced underwater technology, we were able to prepare the most comprehensive description of a deep-sea animal ever made. We’ve ...

Decentralized social media ‘increases citizen empowerment’, says Oxford study

2024-11-12
Researchers from the Oxford Martin Programme on Ethical Web and Data Architectures (University of Oxford) have reported findings from a paper exploring the motivations and challenges in running decentralised social media such as Mastodon, concluding such platforms offer potential for increased citizen empowerment in this digital domain. In their study, presented at the 27th ACM SIGCHI Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW) today, the researchers interviewed 16 administrators of Mastodon servers (otherwise known as instances), including those supporting marginalised and stigmatised communities. Their ...

Validating an electronic frailty index in a national health system

Validating an electronic frailty index in a national health system
2024-11-12
“The classification of patients according to their level of frailty allows us to adjust prevention programs and focus our limited resources on the right action for the right person.” BUFFALO, NY- November 12, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science), on October 24, 2024, Volume 16, Issue 20, titled, "Development and validation of an electronic frailty index in a national health ...

Combination approach shows promise for treating rare, aggressive cancers

2024-11-12
A research team led by UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center investigators has shown that that combining pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug, with standard chemotherapy can improve treatment outcomes for patients with small cell bladder cancer and small cell/neuroendocrine prostate cancer. Small cell carcinomas can arise in various tissues—including the bladder, prostate, lung, ovaries and breast—and are known for their rapid progression, tendency to relapse after initial treatment and poor overall survival ...

Raise the roof: How to reduce badminton birdie drift

Raise the roof: How to reduce badminton birdie drift
2024-11-12
WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2024 – Indoor badminton courts are often used for high-stakes tournaments, but even an enclosed court can affect the path of a birdie. The airflow from a court’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and cross ventilation plays a significant role in badminton. The lightweight feathered birdie passed between the players can be affected by low wind speed in the stadium. This is known as wind drift and has been at the center of multiple tournament controversies. While shutting ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Community partners key to success of vaccine clinic focused on neurodevelopmental conditions

Low-carbon collaborative dual-layer optimization for energy station considering joint electricity and heat demand response

McMaster University researchers uncover potential treatment for rare genetic disorders

The return of protectionism: The impact of the Sino-US trade war

UTokyo and NARO develop new vertical seed distribution trait for soybean breeding

Research into UK’s use of plastic packaging finds households ‘wishcycle’ rather than recycle – risking vast contamination

Vaccine shows promise against aggressive breast cancer

Adverse events affect over 1 in 3 surgery patients, US study finds

Outsourcing adult social care has contributed to England’s care crisis, argue experts

The Lancet: Over 800 million adults living with diabetes, more than half not receiving treatment, global study suggests

New therapeutic approach for severe COVID-19: faster recovery and reduction in mortality

Plugged wells and reduced injection lower induced earthquake rates in Oklahoma

Yin selected as a 2024 American Society of Agronomy Fellow

Long Covid could cost the economy billions every year

Bluetooth technology unlocks urban animal secrets

This nifty AI tool helps neurosurgeons find sneaky cancer cells

Treatment advances, predictive biomarkers stand to improve bladder cancer care

NYC's ride-hailing fee failed to ease Manhattan traffic, new NYU Tandon study reveals

Meteorite contains evidence of liquid water on Mars 742 million years ago

Self-reported screening helped reduce distressing symptoms for pediatric patients with cancer

Which risk factors are linked to having a severe stroke?

Opening borders for workers: Abe’s profound influence on Japan’s immigration regime

How skills from hospitality and tourism can propel careers beyond the industry

Research shows managers of firms handling recalls should review media scrutiny before deciding whether to lobby

New model system for the development of potential active substances used in condensate modifying drugs

How to reduce social media stress by leaning in instead of logging off

Pioneering research shows sea life will struggle to survive future global warming

In 10 seconds, an AI model detects cancerous brain tumor often missed during surgery 

Burden of RSV–associated hospitalizations in US adults, October 2016 to September 2023

Repurposing semaglutide and liraglutide for alcohol use disorder

[Press-News.org] Young coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching
Reduced metabolism and increased nitrogen storage allow coral larvae to keep algae around at high temperatures