高温胁迫下珊瑚共生虫黄藻损失对疾病爆发的影响

Coral bleaching and following diseases have significantly intensified the degradation of coral reefs, and seriously inhibited the recovery of the coral reef ecosystem. Corals were infected easily after their bleaching, indicating that bleaching and disease are not independent of each other but may have some potential contacts which are still not clear yet. The project will be conducted to analysis the process of coral disease outbreak after different levels of bleaching, the impacts of zooxanthellae loss to disease outbreak, the process of recovery inhabitation, the relationship between coral bleaching and disease, by a combination of laboratory experiments and field observations, thermal stresses as well as zooxanthellae, coral tissue cell and mucus microbiologic population microscopic analysis. Meanwhile, continuous observation and sampling will be carried out in a near reef area. The loss of zooxanthellae will be consided as the principal line. The impacts of breaking the coral symbiosis balance to the ourtbreak of diseases and the inhibited process of the recovery of coral bleaching will be monitored to research the mechnasim of infection after coral bleaching and the relationship between them. The project will deepen research on the coral reef ecosystem degradation mechanisms, the coral ability to adapt to the climatic and environmental changes, and the forecast of the development trend of the coral reefs in the context of future global change, and will also provide a scientific basis for policy formulation on the scientific conservation and management of coral reef resources.

气候变暖、异常高温导致珊瑚礁白化频繁发生，严重影响珊瑚礁生态系统的健康，而珊瑚白化后疾病的爆发更加重了珊瑚礁的退化并严重抑制了其生态系统的恢复。珊瑚礁白化后更容易爆发疾病，说明白化和疾病并非相互独立而是可能具有潜在的联系，但至今并不知晓。本项目拟采用实验室模拟和野外观测相结合的方法，通过人工控制升温获得不同白化程度的珊瑚活体样品，再引入带病珊瑚组织作为感染源，结合虫黄藻、珊瑚组织、粘液中共生微生物群落等的微观分析，研究不同程度白化后珊瑚感染疾病的过程。同时，在临近的礁区开展连续的观测并采样分析。项目以虫黄藻损失为主线，观测高温胁迫打破珊瑚共生体系的平衡对疾病爆发的影响以及疾病对珊瑚白化后恢复的抑制过程，深入研究珊瑚白化后易于感染疾病的原因以及两者之间的内在联系。此研究成果将深化对珊瑚礁生态系统退化机制，珊瑚适应气候变化的能力以及未来珊瑚礁发育趋势的认识，也为科学保护珊瑚礁资源提供科学依据。

气候变暖、异常高温导致珊瑚礁白化频繁发生，严重影响珊瑚礁生态系统的健康，而珊瑚疾病的爆发更加重了珊瑚礁的退化并严重抑制了其生态系统的恢复。本项目采用野外持续观测、实验室模拟、地球化学测试分析等方法相结合，针对海南岛发育的典型珊瑚岸礁，开展了珊瑚白化或受高温胁迫对进一步感染疾病的综合研究。我们建立了地球化学指标记录器测记录之前珊瑚白化事件的方法；发现了南海新的致病源以及爆发的机制和速率；揭示了水温等对珊瑚光合作用效率的调控过程以及对白化和疾病爆发的影响，等。我们的研究成果深化了对气候变化和人为影响导致珊瑚礁生态系统退化机制的认识，为科学保护珊瑚礁资源提供科新的方法和理论依据。