The effect of dissolved nickel and copper on the adult coral Acropora muricata and its microbiome

Gissi, F; Reichelt-Brushett, AJ; Chariton, AA; Stauber, JL; Greenfield, P; Humphrey, C; Salmon, M; Stephenson, SA; Cresswell, T; Jolley, DF

The effect of dissolved nickel and copper on the adult coral Acropora muricata and its microbiome

Gissi, F Reichelt-Brushett, AJ Chariton, AA Stauber, JL Greenfield, P Humphrey, C Salmon, M Stephenson, SA Cresswell, T Jolley, DF

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Environmental Pollution, 2019, 250 pp. 792 - 806
Issue Date:: 2019-07-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Gissi, F	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Reichelt-Brushett, AJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Chariton, AA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Stauber, JL	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Greenfield, P	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Humphrey, C	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Salmon, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Stephenson, SA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Cresswell, T	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Jolley, DF https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1028-1603	en_US
dc.date.available	2019-04-06	en_US
dc.date.issued	2019-07-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Environmental Pollution, 2019, 250 pp. 792 - 806	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0269-7491	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/136538
dc.description.abstract	© 2019 The potential impacts of mining activities on tropical coastal ecosystems are poorly understood. In particular, limited information is available on the effects of metals on scleractinian corals which are foundation species that form vital structural habitats supporting other biota. This study investigated the effects of dissolved nickel and copper on the coral Acropora muricata and its associated microbiota. Corals collected from the Great Barrier Reef were exposed to dissolved nickel (45, 90, 470, 900 and 9050 μg Ni/L)or copper (4, 11, 32 and 65 μg Cu/L)in flow through chambers at the National Sea Simulator, Townsville, Qld, Australia. After a 96-h exposure DNA metabarcoding (16S rDNA and 18S rDNA)was undertaken on all samples to detect changes in the structure of the coral microbiome. The controls remained healthy throughout the study period. After 36 h, bleaching was only observed in corals exposed to 32 and 65 μg Cu/L and very high nickel concentrations (9050 μg Ni/L). At 96 h, significant discolouration of corals was only observed in 470 and 900 μg Ni/L treatments, the highest concentrations tested. While high concentrations of nickel caused bleaching, no changes in the composition of their microbiome communities were observed. In contrast, exposure to copper not only resulted in bleaching, but altered the composition of both the eukaryote and bacterial communities of the coral's microbiomes. Our findings showed that these effects were only evident at relatively high concentrations of nickel and copper, reflecting concentrations observed only in extremely polluted environments. Elevated metal concentrations have the capacity to alter the microbiomes which are inherently linked to coral health.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Environmental Pollution	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.envpol.2019.04.030	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Environmental Sciences	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Animals	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Anthozoa	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Copper	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Nickel	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Water Pollutants, Chemical	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Tropical Climate	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Dose-Response Relationship, Drug	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Solubility	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Models, Theoretical	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Mining	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Australia	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Coral Reefs	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Microbiota	en_US
dc.title	The effect of dissolved nickel and copper on the adult coral Acropora muricata and its microbiome	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	250	en_US
utslib.for	0502 Environmental Science and Management	en_US
utslib.for	0604 Genetics	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	250	en_US

Abstract:

© 2019 The potential impacts of mining activities on tropical coastal ecosystems are poorly understood. In particular, limited information is available on the effects of metals on scleractinian corals which are foundation species that form vital structural habitats supporting other biota. This study investigated the effects of dissolved nickel and copper on the coral Acropora muricata and its associated microbiota. Corals collected from the Great Barrier Reef were exposed to dissolved nickel (45, 90, 470, 900 and 9050 μg Ni/L)or copper (4, 11, 32 and 65 μg Cu/L)in flow through chambers at the National Sea Simulator, Townsville, Qld, Australia. After a 96-h exposure DNA metabarcoding (16S rDNA and 18S rDNA)was undertaken on all samples to detect changes in the structure of the coral microbiome. The controls remained healthy throughout the study period. After 36 h, bleaching was only observed in corals exposed to 32 and 65 μg Cu/L and very high nickel concentrations (9050 μg Ni/L). At 96 h, significant discolouration of corals was only observed in 470 and 900 μg Ni/L treatments, the highest concentrations tested. While high concentrations of nickel caused bleaching, no changes in the composition of their microbiome communities were observed. In contrast, exposure to copper not only resulted in bleaching, but altered the composition of both the eukaryote and bacterial communities of the coral's microbiomes. Our findings showed that these effects were only evident at relatively high concentrations of nickel and copper, reflecting concentrations observed only in extremely polluted environments. Elevated metal concentrations have the capacity to alter the microbiomes which are inherently linked to coral health.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/136538