Klinges, J. Grace

Ocean warming, disease, and pollution have contributed to global declines in coral abundances and diversity. In the Caribbean, corals previously dominated reefs, providing an architectural framework for diverse ecological habitats, but have significantly declined due to infectious disease and anthropogenic climate change. Key species like the coral Acropora cervicornis are critically endangered, prompting researchers to focus on scientific endeavors to identify factors influencing coral disease resistance and resilience. We previously showed that disease susceptibility, growth rates, and bleaching risk were all associated with the abundance of a single bacterial parasite, Candidatus Aquirickettsia rohweri which proliferates in vivo under nutrient enrichment. Yet how nutrients influence parasite physiology in vivo remains unknown. Here, we analyzed parasite gene expression from a disease-susceptible A. cervicornis genotype exposed to ambient or nutrient enrichment conditions. Electron microscopy showed that Ca. A. rohweri was abundant in coral tissue and densely packed in mucocytes prior to nutrient enrichment. Under ambient conditions, the parasite upregulated genes involved in translation, protein maintenance, and cell envelope integrity, consistent with a conserve-and-maintain strategy. Nutrient enrichment induced expression of genes associated with central metabolism, nutrient import, stress response, host interaction, and two-component systems. Together, these results indicate that nutrient enrichment activates a growth-and-exploitation strategy, likely exacerbating parasitic pressure on A. cervicornis .

AbstractThe aquatic symbiont “Candidatus Aquarickettsia rohweri” infects a diversity of non-bilaterian metazoan phyla. In the threatened coralAcropora cervicornis,Aquarickettsiaproliferates in response to increased nutrient exposure, resulting in suppressed growth and increased disease susceptibility and mortality. This study evaluated the extent, as well as the ecology and evolution ofAquarickettsiainfecting the Caribbean corals:Ac. cervicornisandAc. palmataand their hybrid (‘Ac. prolifera’). The bacterial parasiteAquarickettsiawas found in all acroporids, with host and sampling location impacting infection magnitude. Phylogenomic and genome-wide single nucleotide variant analysis foundAquarickettsiaclustering by region, not by coral taxon. Fixation analysis suggested within coral colonies,Aquarickettsiaare genetically isolated to the extent that reinfection is unlikely. Relative to other Rickettsiales,Aquarickettsiais undergoing positive selection, with Florida populations experiencing greater positive selection relative to the other Caribbean locations. This may be due toAquarickettsiaresponse to increased nutrient stress in Florida, as indicated by greaterin situreplication rates in these corals.Aquarickettsiadid not significantly codiversify with either coral animal nor algal symbiont, and qPCR analysis of gametes and juveniles from susceptible coral genotypes indicated absence in early life stages. Thus, despite being an obligate parasite,Aquarickettsiamust be horizontally transmitted via coral mucocytes, an unidentified secondary host, or a yet unexplored environmentally mediated mechanism. Importantly, the prevalence ofAquarickettsiainAc. cervicornisand high abundance in Florida populations suggests that disease mitigation efforts in the US and Caribbean should focus on preventing early infection via horizontal transmission.