On the use of rapid acute heat tolerance assays to resolve ecologically relevant differences among corals

• Published in: Coral reefs 2024-12, Vol.43 (6), p.1793-1801
• Main Authors: Cunning, Ross, Matsuda, Shayle B., Bartels, Erich, D’Alessandro, Martine, Detmer, A. Raine, Harnay, Pierrick, Levy, Jessica, Lirman, Diego, Moeller, Holly V., Muller, Erinn M., Nedimyer, Ken, Pfab, Ferdinand, Putnam, Hollie M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Assaying; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bleaching; Coral reefs; Corals; Environmental effects; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Genets; Heat; Heat stress; Heat tolerance; Life Sciences; Oceanography; Restoration; Thresholds
• ISSN: 0722-4028; 1432-0975
• DOI: 10.1007/s00338-024-02577-7

Rapid acute heat stress assays are increasingly used to assess reef coral heat tolerance and identify resilient corals for research and restoration. However, concerns remain about (1) how representative they are of natural bleaching events, and (2) how reproducible they are in resolving differences in heat tolerance among corals. To address these gaps, we (1) compared rapid assays with an 8-day ‘classic’ bleaching experiment on Acropora pulchra genets (n = 20), and (2) tested and retested rapid assay responses of Acropora cervicornis (n = 85 genets) up to a year apart. In both species, rapid assays revealed a ~ 2.5 °C range in heat tolerance thresholds ( F v /F m ED50s) among genets, and these thresholds were strongly predictive of individual bleaching responses in the classic bleaching experiment (R = 0.74). Retesting genets with rapid assays showed ED50 differences