Meeting Abstract
Changing ocean conditions are already impacting fitness and distribution of coastal marine organisms. Our ability to predict the biological consequences of ongoing changes is hampered in many cases by the scarcity of fundamental data on biological responses to environmental conditions. In this study, we focused on an intertidal anemone Anthopleura elegantissima that encounters extreme variation in environmental conditions across the intertidal zone and across its geographic range. This anemone typically occurs in symbiotic relationships with unicellular algae, with the dinoflagellate (Symbiodinium) dominating in most of its range and a green algal symbiont (Elliptochloris) occurring in low light and high latitudes. To investigate biological responses to this variation in environmental conditions and symbiotic status, we developed a reference transcriptome assembly and profiled gene expression using RNASeq, testing for changes in gene expression across latitudes, at different tidal heights, and in different symbiotic states. Our study profiles responses to existing variation in conditions to better understand how this organism may respond over time. To develop a more complete picture of biological responses in this system, this analysis was conducted as part of a broader collaboration (SSIMBIO) aiming to develop a systems biology framework for understanding responses to climate change. Collaborators studying diverse topics, including microbial communities and population structure, were also able to analyze the samples used in this study. We describe ongoing efforts to integrate these diverse datasets to develop a molecules-to-ecosystems view of biological responses to changing ocean conditions.
