Nature vs. nurture? Light availability drives phenotypic plasticity within a reef coral species
Ducret, H.; Suchocki, C.R.; Lewis, C.J.; Dierssen, H.M.; Hochberg, E.J.; Schar, D.W.H.; Kochzius, M.; George, I.F.; Toonen, R.J.; Flot, J. (2026). Nature vs. nurture? Light availability drives phenotypic plasticity within a reef coral species. Limnol. Oceanogr. 71(6): e70368. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/lno.70368
In: Limnology and Oceanography. American Society of Limnology and Oceanography: Waco, Tex., etc. ISSN 0024-3590; e-ISSN 1939-5590, more
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| Author keywords |
morphological plasticity;diversity;symbiodinium;flexibility;ecology;biodiversity;photobiology;reflectance;specificity;dominance |
| Authors | | Top |
- Ducret, H.
- Suchocki, C.R.
- Lewis, C.J.
- Dierssen, H.M., more
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- Hochberg, E.J.
- Schar, D.W.H.
- Kochzius, M.
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- George, I.F.
- Toonen, R.J.
- Flot, J.
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| Abstract |
Scleractinian corals exhibit wide intra-specific phenotypic variations. However, the extent to which these variations are explained by genotypic variation or phenotypic plasticity remains unclear. To elucidate this question, we devised a replicated experiment in which nine Montipora capitata coral colonies were cut into six pieces each, three of which were placed in shaded conditions (with a 73% reduction in light intensity) whereas the other three were kept in natural conditions as a control. After 1 year, we detected statistically significant morphological differences between corals of the same genotypes grown in different light environments, but no significant change in symbiont community structure. Colonies kept in control conditions exhibited a high surface complexity and converged toward more digitate or corymbose morphs compared to shaded corals, which exhibited planar-like surfaces and converged toward laminar and foliose forms. Our data demonstrate the high level of light-driven phenotypic plasticity of M. capitata and suggest a trade-off between the amount of biomass per space area and the amount of absorption of incident light. |
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