R-3 Repository :: Browsing by Author "Correa, Adrienne M.S."

Browsing by Author "Correa, Adrienne M.S."

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Coral Bleaching Phenotypes Associated With Differential Abundances of Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses
(Frontiers, 2020) Messyasz, Adriana; Rosales, Stephanie M.; Mueller, Ryan S.; Sawyer, Teresa; Correa, Adrienne M.S.; Thurber, Andrew R.; Thurber, Rebecca Vega
Eukaryotic viruses and bacteriophage have been implicated in disease and bleaching in corals, but the compositional and functional diversity of these viruses in healthy and compromised hosts remains underexplored. To investigate whether viral assemblages differ in concert with coral bleaching, we collected bleached and non-bleached conspecific pairs of corals during a minor bleaching event in 2016 from reefs on the island of Mo’orea, French Polynesia. Using electron microscopy (EM), we identified several viral particle types, all reminiscent of medium to large-sized nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDV). We also found that viral metagenomes from bleached corals have significantly more eukaryotic virus sequences, whereas bacteriophage sequences are significantly more abundant in viral metagenomes from non-bleached colonies. In this study, we also initiated the assembly of the first eukaryotic dsDNA coral virus genome. Based on our EM imagery and our taxonomic annotations of viral metagenome sequences, we hypothesize that this genome represents a novel, phylogenetically distinct member of the NCLDVs, with its closest sequenced relative being a distant marine flagellate-associated virus. We also showed that this NCLDV is abundant in bleached corals, but it is also present in apparently healthy corals, suggesting it plays a role in the onset and/or severity of coral bleaching.
Depth and coral cover drive the distribution of a coral macroborer across two reef systems
(Public Library of Science, 2018) Maher, Rebecca L.; Johnston, Michelle A.; Brandt, Marilyn E.; Smith, Tyler Burton; Correa, Adrienne M.S.
Bioerosion, the removal of calcium carbonate from coral frameworks by living organisms, influences a variety of reef features, from their topographic complexity to the net balance of carbonate budgets. Little is known, however, about how macroborers, which bore into reef substrates leaving traces greater than 0.1 mm diameter, are distributed across coral reefs, particularly reef systems with high (>50%) stony coral cover or at mesophotic depths (≥30 m). Here, we present an accurate and efficient method for quantifying macroborer densities from stony coral hosts via image analysis, using the bioeroding barnacle, Lithotrya dorsalis, and its host coral, Orbicella franksi, as a case study. We found that in 2014, L. dorsalis densities varied consistently with depth and host percent cover in two Atlantic reef systems: the Flower Garden Banks (FGB, northwest Gulf of Mexico) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Although average barnacle density was nearly 4.5 times greater overall in the FGB than in the USVI, barnacle density decreased with depth in both reef regions. Barnacle density also scaled negatively with increasing coral cover in the study areas, suggesting that barnacle populations are not strictly space-limited in their distribution and settlement opportunities. Our findings suggest that depth and host coral cover, and potentially, local factors may strongly influence the abundance of macroborers, and thus the rate of CaCO3 loss, in a given reef system. Our image analysis method for quantifying macroborers can be standardized across historical and modern reef records to better understand how borers impact host growth and reef health.
Disturbance Driven Colony Fragmentation as a Driver of a Coral Disease Outbreak
(2013-02-20) Brandt, Marilyn E.; Smith, Tyler B.; Correa, Adrienne M.S.; Vega-Thurber, Rebecca
In September of 2010, Brewer’s Bay reef, located in St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands), was simultaneously affected by abnormally high temperatures and the passage of a hurricane that resulted in the mass bleaching and fragmentation of its coral community. An outbreak of a rapid tissue loss disease among coral colonies was associated with these two disturbances. Gross lesion signs and lesion progression rates indicated that the disease was most similar to the Caribbean coral disease white plague type 1. Experiments indicated that the disease was transmissible through direct contact between colonies, and five-meter radial transects showed a clustered spatial distribution of disease, with diseased colonies being concentrated within the first meter of other diseased colonies. Disease prevalence and the extent to which colonies were bleached were both significantly higher on unattached colony fragments than on attached colonies, and disease occurred primarily on fragments found in direct contact with sediment. In contrast to other recent studies, disease presence was not related to the extent of bleaching on colonies. The results of this study suggest that colony fragmentation and contact with sediment played primary roles in the initial appearance of disease, but that the disease was capable of spreading among colonies, which suggests secondary transmission is possible through some other, unidentified mechanism.
Diversity Metrics Are Robust to Differences in Sampling Location and Depth for Environmental DNA of Plants in Small Temperate Lakes
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Drummond, Jennifer A.; Larson, Eric R.; Li, Yiyuan; Lodge, David M.; Gantz, Crysta A.; Pfrender, Michael E.; Renshaw, Mark A.; Correa, Adrienne M.S.; Egan, Scott P.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis methods permit broad yet detailed biodiversity sampling to be performed with minimal field effort. However, considerable uncertainty remains regarding the spatial resolution necessary for effective sampling, especially in aquatic environments. Also, contemporary plant communities are under-investigated with eDNA methods relative to animals and microbes. We analyzed eDNA samples from six small temperate lakes to elucidate spatial patterns in the distributions of algae and aquatic and terrestrial plants, using metabarcoding of the Internal Transcribed Spacer-1 (ITS1) genomic region. Sampling locations were varied across horizontal and vertical space: sites in each lake included a mixture of nearshore and offshore positions, each of which was stratified into surface (shallow) and benthic (deep) samples. We detected the expected community variation (beta diversity) from lake to lake, but only small effects of offshore distance and sampling depth. Taxon richness (alpha diversity) was slightly elevated in nearshore samples, but displayed no other significant spatial effects. These diversity metrics imply that plant eDNA is more evenly distributed than its generating organisms in these small lake environments. Read abundances were heavily weighted toward aquatic macrophytes, though taxon richness was greatest in the algae and other nonvascular plants. We also identified representatives of many phylogenetically and ecologically varied plant taxa, including terrestrial species from surrounding areas. We conclude that freshwater plant eDNA surveys successfully capture differences among lake communities, and that easily-accessible, shore-based sampling may be a reliable technique for informing research and management in similar ecosystems.
Editorial: Gulf of Mexico Reefs: Past, Present and Future
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Martindale, Rowan C.; Holstein, Daniel M.; Knowlton, Nancy; Voss, Joshua D.; Weiss, Anna M.; Correa, Adrienne M.S.
Gene Expression of Endangered Coral (Orbicella spp.) in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary After Hurricane Harvey
(Frontiers, 2019) Wright, Rachel M.; Correa, Adrienne M.S.; Quigley, Lucinda A.; Santiago-Vázquez, Lory Z.; Shamberger, Kathryn E.F.; Davies, Sarah W.
About 190 km south of the Texas–Louisiana border, the East and West Flower Garden Banks (FGB) have maintained > 50% coral cover with infrequent and minor incidents of disease or bleaching since monitoring began in the 1970s. However, a mortality event, affecting 5.6 ha (2.6% of the area) of the East FGB, occurred in late July 2016 and coincided with storm-generated freshwater runoff extending offshore and over the reef system. To capture the immediate effects of storm-driven freshwater runoff on coral and symbiont physiology, we leveraged the heavy rainfall associated with Hurricane Harvey in late August 2017 by sampling FGB corals at two time points: September 2017, when surface water salinity was reduced (∼34 ppt); and 1 month later when salinity had returned to typical levels (∼36 ppt in October 2017). Tissue samples (N = 47) collected midday were immediately preserved for gene expression profiling from two congeneric coral species (Orbicella faveolata and Orbicella franksi) from the East and West FGB to determine the physiological consequences of storm-derived runoff. In the coral, differences between host species and sampling time points accounted for the majority of differentially expressed genes. Gene ontology enrichment for genes differentially expressed immediately after Hurricane Harvey indicated increases in cellular oxidative stress responses. Although tissue loss was not observed on FGB reefs following Hurricane Harvey, our results suggest that poor water quality following this storm caused FGB corals to experience sub-lethal stress. We also found dramatic expression differences across sampling time points in the coral’s algal symbiont, Breviolum minutum. Some of these differentially expressed genes may be involved in the symbionts’ response to changing environments, including a group of differentially expressed post-transcriptional RNA modification genes. In this study, we cannot disentangle the effects of reduced salinity from the collection time point, so these expression patterns could also be related to seasonality. These findings highlight the urgent need for continued monitoring of these reef systems to establish a baseline for gene expression of healthy corals in the FGB system across seasons, as well as the need for integrated solutions to manage stormwater runoff in the Gulf of Mexico.
Grand Challenges in Coevolution
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022) Medina, Mónica; Baker, David M.; Baltrus, David A.; Bennett, Gordon M.; Cardini, Ulisse; Correa, Adrienne M.S.; Degnan, Sandie M.; Christa, Gregor; Kim, Eunsoo; Li, Jingchun; Nash, David R.; Marzinelli, Ezequiel; Nishiguchi, Michele; Prada, Carlos; Roth, Melissa S.; Saha, Mahasweta; Smith, Christopher I.; Theis, Kevin R.; Zaneveld, Jesse
On a Reef Far, Far Away: Anthropogenic Impacts Following Extreme Storms Affect Sponge Health and Bacterial Communities
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Shore, Amanda; Sims, Jordan A.; Grimes, Michael; Howe-Kerr, Lauren I.; Grupstra, Carsten G.B.; Doyle, Shawn M.; Stadler, Lauren B.; Sylvan, Jason B.; Shamberger, Kathryn E.F.; Davies, Sarah W.; Santiago-Vázquez, Lory Z.; Correa, Adrienne M.S.
Terrestrial runoff can negatively impact marine ecosystems through stressors including excess nutrients, freshwater, sediments, and contaminants. Severe storms, which are increasing with global climate change, generate massive inputs of runoff over short timescales (hours to days); such runoff impacted offshore reefs in the northwest Gulf of Mexico (NW GoM) following severe storms in 2016 and 2017. Several weeks after coastal flooding from these events, NW GoM reef corals, sponges, and other benthic invertebrates ~185 km offshore experienced mortality (2016 only) and/or sub-lethal stress (both years). To assess the impact of storm-derived runoff on reef filter feeders, we characterized the bacterial communities of two sponges, Agelas clathrodes and Xestospongia muta, from offshore reefs during periods of sub-lethal stress and no stress over a three-year period (2016-2018). Sponge-associated and seawater-associated bacterial communities were altered during both flood years. Additionally, we found evidence of wastewater contamination (based on 16S rRNA gene libraries and quantitative PCR) in offshore sponge samples, but not in seawater samples, following these flood years. Signs of wastewater contamination were absent during the no-flood year. We show that flood events from severe storms have the capacity to reach offshore reef ecosystems and impact resident benthic organisms. Such impacts are most readily detected if baseline data on organismal physiology and associated microbiome composition are available. This highlights the need for molecular and microbial time series of benthic organisms in near- and offshore reef ecosystems, and the continued mitigation of stormwater runoff and climate change impacts.
Unified methods in collecting, preserving, and archiving coral bleaching and restoration specimens to increase sample utility and interdisciplinary collaboration
(PeerJ, Inc, 2022) Thurber, Rebecca Vega; Schmeltzer, Emily R.; Grottoli, Andréa G.; Woesik, Robert van; Toonen, Robert J.; Warner, Mark; Dobson, Kerri L.; McLachlan, Rowan H.; Barott, Katie; Barshis, Daniel J.; Baumann, Justin; Chapron, Leila; Combosch, David J.; Correa, Adrienne M.S.; DeCarlo, Thomas M.; Hagedorn, Mary; Hédouin, Laetitia; Hoadley, Kenneth; Felis, Thomas; Ferrier-Pagès, Christine; Kenkel, Carly; Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Matthews, Jennifer; Medina, Mónica; Meyer, Christopher; Oster, Corinna; Price, James; Putnam, Hollie M.; Sawall, Yvonne
Coral reefs are declining worldwide primarily because of bleaching and subsequent mortality resulting from thermal stress. Currently, extensive efforts to engage in more holistic research and restoration endeavors have considerably expanded the techniques applied to examine coral samples. Despite such advances, coral bleaching and restoration studies are often conducted within a specific disciplinary focus, where specimens are collected, preserved, and archived in ways that are not always conducive to further downstream analyses by specialists in other disciplines. This approach may prevent the full utilization of unexpended specimens, leading to siloed research, duplicative efforts, unnecessary loss of additional corals to research endeavors, and overall increased costs. A recent US National Science Foundation-sponsored workshop set out to consolidate our collective knowledge across the disciplines of Omics, Physiology, and Microscopy and Imaging regarding the methods used for coral sample collection, preservation, and archiving. Here, we highlight knowledge gaps and propose some simple steps for collecting, preserving, and archiving coral-bleaching specimens that can increase the impact of individual coral bleaching and restoration studies, as well as foster additional analyses and future discoveries through collaboration. Rapid freezing of samples in liquid nitrogen or placing at −80 °C to −20 °C is optimal for most Omics and Physiology studies with a few exceptions; however, freezing samples removes the potential for many Microscopy and Imaging-based analyses due to the alteration of tissue integrity during freezing. For Microscopy and Imaging, samples are best stored in aldehydes. The use of sterile gloves and receptacles during collection supports the downstream analysis of host-associated bacterial and viral communities which are particularly germane to disease and restoration efforts. Across all disciplines, the use of aseptic techniques during collection, preservation, and archiving maximizes the research potential of coral specimens and allows for the greatest number of possible downstream analyses.
Variable Species Responses to Experimental Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) Exposure
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Meiling, Sonora S.; Muller, Erinn M.; Lasseigne, Danielle; Rossin, Ashley M.; Veglia, Alex J.; MacKnight, Nicholas J.; Dimos, Bradford A.; Huntley, Naomi; Correa, Adrienne M.S.; Smith, Tyler Burton; Holstein, Daniel M.; Mydlarz, Laura D.; Apprill, Amy; Brandt, Marilyn E.
Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) was initially documented in Florida in 2014 and outbreaks with similar characteristics have since appeared in disparate areas throughout the northern Caribbean, causing significant declines in coral communities. SCTLD is characterized by focal or multifocal lesions of denuded skeleton caused by rapid tissue loss and affects at least 22 reef-building species of Caribbean corals. A tissue-loss disease consistent with the case definition of SCTLD was first observed in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) in January of 2019 off the south shore of St. Thomas at Flat Cay. The objective of the present study was to characterize species susceptibility to the disease present in St. Thomas in a controlled laboratory transmission experiment. Fragments of six species of corals (Colpophyllia natans, Montastraea cavernosa, Orbicella annularis, Porites astreoides, Pseudodiploria strigosa, and Siderastrea siderea) were simultaneously incubated with (but did not physically contact) SCTLD-affected colonies of Diploria labyrinthiformis and monitored for lesion appearance over an 8-day experimental period. Paired fragments from each corresponding coral genotype were equivalently exposed to apparently healthy colonies of D. labyrinthiformis to serve as controls; none of these fragments developed lesions throughout the experiment. When tissue-loss lesions appeared and progressed in a disease treatment, the affected coral fragment, and its corresponding control genet, were removed and preserved for future analysis. Based on measures including disease prevalence and incidence, relative risk of lesion development, and lesion progression rates, O. annularis, C. natans, and S. siderea showed the greatest susceptibility to SCTLD in the USVI. These species exhibited earlier average development of lesions, higher relative risk of lesion development, greater lesion prevalence, and faster lesion progression rates compared with the other species, some of which are considered to be more susceptible based on field observations (e.g. P. strigosa). The average transmission rate in the present study was comparable to tank studies in Florida, even though disease donor species differed. Our findings suggest that the tissue loss disease affecting reefs of the USVI has a similar epizootiology to that observed in other regions, particularly Florida.

Browsing by Author "Correa, Adrienne M.S."

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