The influence of environmental history on the performance of Acropora cervicornis corals across a spatiotemporal gradient.

Environmental cues can trigger plastic changes in organism phenotype which may be maintained through environmental memory. However, the duration through which phenotypic differences persist under naturally occurring environmental variation is not yet well understood. In the present study, the influence of environmental history on phenotypic plasticity was studied using corals as model organisms. Genetic clones of Acropora cervicornis corals, previously acclimatized to different environmental conditions, were reciprocally transplanted between an anthropogenically-impacted and more isolated site. The effects of environmental history on physiology and performance were characterized across spatial and temporal gradients. Our results suggest that coral physiological variation was driven by temperature, light, conductivity, and nutrient concentrations. Additionally, coral physiology, acute thermal tolerance, and growth rates differed between sites. Within the initial months following the transplant, the influence of prior environmental conditions on physiology and stress resistance was found to outweigh that of the current environment. Yet, the influence of environmental history varied both spatially and temporally, which suggested trade-offs constraining performance. We detected an increase in overlap between the physiological niches of native and transplant corals over time, demonstrating the loss of environmental memory through acclimatization to novel conditions. In fact, differences in physiology and acute thermal tolerance driven by previous environmental conditions were largely lost after eight months following the transplant. However, the effect of the original environment was still observed in coral growth rates between eight and twelve months post-transplant. Overall, the present work highlights the dynamism of environmental memory and acclimatization across environmental variation.

Duke Scholars

Author Juliet Wong Marine Science and Conservation