RAPID:NSF-BSF: Can Reef-Building Corals Bypass Aging?

Suny At Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY

Investigators

Abstract

This project’s integrated field and laboratory experiments in Israel and the US will leverage conditions created by a rare storm to establish whether corals show molecular-cellular-physiological effects of aging, and will disentangle the effects of age and size on senescence. Reef building corals are long-lived organisms, with some species living longer than most other organisms on the planet. Aging organisms typically experience a decline in function and an increased death rate, but coral colonies may be exceptions to this aging process because they show an increase in fertility and a decline in mortality with age. Questions remain, however, about whether corals undergo senescence on a functional or cellular level. This project will test whether a coral’s chronological age is linked to telomere length, an established biomarker of aging, and measure effects of age on metabolic rate, growth, and reproduction. The world’s coral reefs are in crisis, and it is predicted that by 2030 reefs will no longer be the rich and highly diverse ecosystem that tens of millions of people rely on for their livelihood. It is therefore imperative to understand age-related physiology in corals so that coral reef ecosystems may be sustainably managed for future generations. Furthermore, because reef restoration efforts often use asexual propagation of small fragments originating from older parent colonies, it is critical to know whether these fragments experience senescence after transplantation. The project will also support a master’s level graduate student who will develop and disseminate public educational materials about coral health and aging. Coral colonies, whose polyps bud asexually to produce thousands of clones, have been described as an archetype of negative senescence, although recent evidence suggests that this may not be the case. The rare extratropical cyclone that occurred in March 2020 in the northern Gulf of Aqaba created an extraordinary and time-sensitive opportunity to study aging and senescence because damaged coral colonies are undergoing unusually rapid tissue regeneration, with immediate juxtaposition of old and young polyps. This permits unusual study designs that can address challenges inherent in investigating aging in corals, and in colonial animals generally. Leveraging cutting-edge technology and a complementary, interdisciplinary partnership, the researchers will conduct field studies in the Gulf of Aqaba, precisely controlled mesocosm studies in an automated, 80-aquaria facility in Israel, and advanced molecular biology studies at a leading center for the study of aging in the US. These innovative experiments will: determine whether a coral polyp’s chronological age (1) is linked to telomere length, an established biomarker and central mechanism of cellular aging, and (2) affects the physiological functions of metabolic rate, growth, and reproduction. This project will significantly advance the understanding of key aspects of the biological functioning of reef building coral and of aging across phyla, and may inform the practice of using coral colony fragments in reef restoration efforts. An MS student in the SUNY Stony Brook Marine Conservation and Policy program will travel to Israel to participate in the project and prepare video presentations, blogs, and social media outreach activities for public educational outreach. This award was co-funded by GEO-Division of Ocean Sciences-Biological Oceanography and by BIO-Division of Integrative Organismal Systems-Physiological Mechanisms and Biomechanics. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.