SCIENCE@home

The Effect of Pollen on Coral Health

T. Barker,M. Bulling,Vincent Thomas,M. Sweet

Published 2023 in Biology

ABSTRACT

Simple Summary Corals in aquaria can face several challenges despite the relatively controlled conditions. For example, declines in health state have been noted following months with high pollen counts. This review investigates the possibility of corals experiencing ‘hay fever’ and the possible pathways pollen could take which ultimately lead to reduced health and/or coral death. There are four pathways that may potentially cause such a decline in health. Additional nutrients may disrupt the delicate balance of beneficial microbes within the coral (causing dysbiosis), ultimately allowing potential pathogens to multiply and spread within the tissues. Pollen may also act as a carrier of pathogenic microbes or harbour contaminants such as iron, leading to the same or similar disruption and disease state within the coral. Pollen may also carry reactive oxygen species (ROS) to the coral. ROS have been shown to impact the oxygen concentration surrounding the coral, leading to oxidative stress, which again can result in cases of bleaching and/or disease. Abstract Corals are facing a range of threats, including rises in sea surface temperature and ocean acidification. Some now argue that keeping corals ex situ (in aquaria), may be not only important but necessary to prevent local extinction, for example in the Florida Reef Tract. Such collections or are already becoming common place, especially in the Caribbean, and may act as an ark, preserving and growing rare or endangered species in years to come. However, corals housed in aquaria face their own unique set of threats. For example, hobbyists (who have housed corals for decades) have noticed seasonal mortality is commonplace, incidentally following months of peak pollen production. So, could corals suffer from hay fever? If so, what does the future hold? In short, the answer to the first question is simple, and it is no, corals cannot suffer from hay fever, primarily because corals lack an adaptive immune system, which is necessary for the diagnosis of such an allergy. However, the threat from pollen could still be real. In this review, we explore how such seasonal mortality could play out. We explore increases in reactive oxygen species, the role of additional nutrients and how the microbiome of the pollen may introduce disease or cause dysbiosis in the holobiont.

PUBLICATION RECORD

CITATION MAP

EXTRACTION MAP

CLAIMS

  • No claims are published for this paper.

CONCEPTS

  • No concepts are published for this paper.

REFERENCES

Showing 1-100 of 106 references · Page 1 of 2

12
Next

CITED BY

  • No citing papers are available for this paper.

Showing 0-0 of 0 citing papers · Page 1 of 1