Metabolomics characterization of life-history strategies of
scleractinian corals in the South China Sea: comparation of a dominant
coral (Pocillopora meandrina) and a nondominant coral (Seriatopora
hystrix)
Abstract
Life-history strategies play a critical role in susceptibility to
environmental stresses for scleractinia coral. Metabolomics, which is
regarded as the ultimate response of biological systems to genetic and
environmental changes, is competent for the characterization of species’
biological traits. In this study, we combined untargeted mass
spectrometry metabolomics and molecular networking to characterize the
differential metabolic pathways between Pocillopora meandrina, one of
the dominant species in South China Sea (SCS) with the life-history
strategy of “competitive”, and Seriatopora hystrix, one of the
nondominant species with the life-history strategy of “weedy” in SCS.
The results show that lyso-PAF, DGCC, aromatic amino acids, and
sulfhydryl compounds were more enriched in P. meandrina, whereas new
phospholipid, de-PG DHC, MAG, FA (C<18), peptides, and
guanidine compounds were more enriched in S. hystrix. The metabolic
pathways involving immune response, energy metabolism, cellular membrane
structure regulation, oxidative stress system, secondary metabolite
synthesis, and et al. were speculated to relate to coral’s physiological
traits, which finally resulted in the faster growth rate of P. meandrina
and more robust environmental adaptability of S. hystrix. This study
contributed to understanding of the potential molecular traits
underlying life-history strategies of different coral species.