Fingerprinting the reef: single-cell metabolomic analyses of corals under threat from ecological change – Part II

Project Member(s): Petrou, K., Nielsen, D.

Funding or Partner Organisation: The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Australian Synchrotron Access Program (Beamtime))
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Australian Synchrotron Access Program (Beamtime))

Start year: 2023

Summary: Coral reefs form one of the most magnificent and diverse ecosystems on the planet. However, corals live close to their thermal tolerance, making them vulnerable to warming sea temperatures. This project aims to resolve the biomolecular fingerprint of host and symbiont cells under thermal stress using synchrotron-based Infrared microspectroscopy, to provide insight into the metabolic changes occurring within the coral during bleaching. The proposed research is significant because it will provide clues to the mechanism underpinning this stress response and by comparing across species, will allow us to generate a metabolic fingerprint for the early detection of coral bleaching.

FOR Codes: Ecology, Climate change impacts and adaptation, Biochemistry and cell biology, Adaptation to climate change, Rehabilitation or conservation of marine environments, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.