Unified methods in collecting, preserving, and archiving coral bleaching and restoration specimens to increase sample utility and interdisciplinary collaboration

PeerJ

article

Rebecca Vega Thurber¹  Emily R. Schmeltzer¹  Andréa G. Grottoli²  Robert van Woesik³  Robert J. Toonen⁴  Mark Warner⁵  Kerri L. Dobson²  Rowan H. McLachlan¹  Katie Barott⁶  Daniel J. Barshis⁷  Justin Baumann⁸  Leila Chapron²  David J. Combosch⁹  Adrienne MS Correa^1,10  Thomas M. DeCarlo^1,11  Mary Hagedorn⁴  Laetitia Hédouin^1,13  Kenneth Hoadley^1,14  Thomas Felis^1,15  Christine Ferrier-Pagès^1,16  Carly Kenkel^1,17  Ilsa B. Kuffner^1,18  Jennifer Matthews^1,19  Mónica Medina^2,20  Christopher Meyer^2,21  Corinna Oster^1,15  James Price²  Hollie M. Putnam^2,22  Yvonne Sawall^2,23 

[1] Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University;School of Earth Sciences, Ohio State University;Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology;Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa;School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware;Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania;Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University;Biology Department, Bowdoin College;Marine Laboratory, University of Guam;BioSciences Department, Rice University;College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Hawai’i Pacific University;Conservation Biology Institute;Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environnement;Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa;MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen;Marine Biology Department, Coral Ecophysiology team, Centre Scientifique de Monaco;Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California;U.S. Geological Survey;Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney;Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park;Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History;Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island;Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences

关键词: Coral;    Reef;    Provenance;    Storage;    Methodology;    Protocols;    Pipelines;    Analytics;    Physiology;    Omics;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.14176

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Coral reefs are declining worldwide primarily because of bleaching and subsequent mortality resulting from thermal stress. Currently, extensive efforts to engage in more holistic research and restoration endeavors have considerably expanded the techniques applied to examine coral samples. Despite such advances, coral bleaching and restoration studies are often conducted within a specific disciplinary focus, where specimens are collected, preserved, and archived in ways that are not always conducive to further downstream analyses by specialists in other disciplines. This approach may prevent the full utilization of unexpended specimens, leading to siloed research, duplicative efforts, unnecessary loss of additional corals to research endeavors, and overall increased costs. A recent US National Science Foundation-sponsored workshop set out to consolidate our collective knowledge across the disciplines of Omics, Physiology, and Microscopy and Imaging regarding the methods used for coral sample collection, preservation, and archiving. Here, we highlight knowledge gaps and propose some simple steps for collecting, preserving, and archiving coral-bleaching specimens that can increase the impact of individual coral bleaching and restoration studies, as well as foster additional analyses and future discoveries through collaboration. Rapid freezing of samples in liquid nitrogen or placing at −80 °C to −20 °C is optimal for most Omics and Physiology studies with a few exceptions; however, freezing samples removes the potential for many Microscopy and Imaging-based analyses due to the alteration of tissue integrity during freezing. For Microscopy and Imaging, samples are best stored in aldehydes. The use of sterile gloves and receptacles during collection supports the downstream analysis of host-associated bacterial and viral communities which are particularly germane to disease and restoration efforts. Across all disciplines, the use of aseptic techniques during collection, preservation, and archiving maximizes the research potential of coral specimens and allows for the greatest number of possible downstream analyses.

【 授权许可】

CC BY