Adaptation to deeper water environments in scleractinian corals

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K13649
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 17050:Biogeosciences-related
• Research Institution: Tottori University of Environmental Studies
• Principal Investigator: TOKUDA YUKI 公立鳥取環境大学, 環境学部, 准教授 (30779765)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: サンゴ / 進化 / 骨格微細構造 / 海洋酸性化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Ocean acidification leads to coral reef damage and/or loss. However, azooxanthellate scleractinian corals harbor in deeper water with low aragonite saturation environments. In this study, I reevaluated coral skeletons, which have been traditionally studied as inorganic materials, from the perspective of a composite material consisting of inorganic and organic components. We also revealed the three-dimensionally microskeletal structures with distribution of organic matter of the corals and its function to adapt to deep water environments.

Free Research Field

古生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の目的は，これまで無機物質として研究がなされてきたイシサンゴ骨格を，無機物と有機物の複合材料としての観点から再検討し，骨格構造とその機能を深海適応の観点から明らかにした．深海環境は一般に捕食圧が小さく，原始的な生物群の避難所であると考えられているが，実際は深海環境への適応に大きな障壁が存在することを実証し，イシサンゴの深海での多様化に骨格微細構造の進化が重要であることを明らかにした．今後，地球温暖化による深海域の海洋酸性化の拡大に対し，本研究の知見が非常に重要となる．