Elaborating the molecular characteristics of corals' different tolerance to environmental stress in Sanya Luhuitou based on multi-omics analysis

Xiaoyu Tang¹Xiangrui Guo²Hanzhang Wang²Qingsong Yang¹Ying Zhang¹Juan Ling¹Hao Sun²Junde Dong^1*Yanying Zhang^2*

• ¹South China Sea Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
• ²Yantai University, Yantai, China

The resistance to environmental perturbations varies significantly among coral species. Corals are holobionts that are symbiotic with dinoflagellates and microbiomes, which makes their physiological responses to environmental stress complex. In order to restore coral reefs, it is essential to discover the molecular characteristics associated with coral environmental stress tolerance and to understand the molecular mechanisms that contribute to physiological adaptation. This study explores gene expression differences in the resistance to environmental stress between branching coral (Pocillopora damicornis) and massive corals (Porites lutea and Galaxea fascicularis). We analyzed the coral associated bacterial communities and the profiling of environmental stress related genes, proteins and metabolites. The results showed that beneficial bacteria were more abundant in massive corals than in branching corals, while pathogenic bacteria were more abundant in branching corals. Genes and proteins that can counteract environmental stress were found more abundant in branching corals as compared to massive corals. Branching corals contained higher levels of metabolites associated with environmental stress, such as LysoPC (15:0). Massive corals possess simultaneously higher basal expression genes (or proteins) involved in amino acid metabolism, which may contribute to their higher tolerance. Based on molecular characteristics, this study revealed that branching corals' resistance to environmental stress was weaker than that of massive corals, which provided a valuable reference for coral reef protection in the future.