Summary of Study ST004143
This data is available at the NIH Common Fund's National Metabolomics Data Repository (NMDR) website, the Metabolomics Workbench, https://www.metabolomicsworkbench.org, where it has been assigned Project ID PR002606. The data can be accessed directly via it's Project DOI: 10.21228/M8SS0Z This work is supported by NIH grant, U2C- DK119886.
See: https://www.metabolomicsworkbench.org/about/howtocite.php
This study contains a large results data set and is not available in the mwTab file. It is only available for download via FTP as data file(s) here.
| Study ID | ST004143 |
| Study Title | Lineage-Specific Thermal Tolerance Mechanisms in Stony and Soft Corals: Insights from Photophysiology and Metabolomics |
| Study Summary | Soft corals (order Alcyonacea), characterized by minimal or absent skeletal structures, have received far less attention compared to reef-building hard corals (order Scleractinia), despite their vulnerability to heat stress. This study investigated the thermal response mechanisms of two symbiotic corals, Galaxea fascicularis (stony coral) and Clavularia inflata (soft coral), which could be found in the same water region and depth in the South China Sea. Using controlled heat stress experiments, we analyzed their photophysiological and metabolomic response. While G. fascicularis maintained stable net photosynthetic rates (Pnet) and increased dark respiration (Rd), C. inflata showed a decline in Rd, a slight Pnet reduction, and a symbiont loss. Metabolic changes in G. fascicularis were primarily focused on energy production (e.g., D-mannose, D-sorbitol, and Succinate) and amino acid metabolism (e.g., D-proline, Glutamic acid, and Histidine). In contrast, C. inflata exhibited a broader range of metabolic shifts, including Glucosamine-6-phosphate (involved in energy pathways), D-proline, Histidine, Tryptophan, and Taurine (amino acid metabolism), Purines and Pyrimidines (nucleotide metabolism), Carnosic acid, Linolenic acid, and Retinene (antioxidants), as well as the dipeptides His-Ser and Lys-Lys. These findings revealed that metabolic adjustments played a key role in thermotolerance in stony coral, while soft coral exhibited a more diverse response and incurred energetic costs in response to thermal stress. This research provided insights into lineage-specific resilience mechanisms, shedding light on why soft corals may be less competitive under heatwaves and contributing to our understanding of shifts in coral reef community composition driven by climate change. |
| Institute | South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| Last Name | Yuan |
| First Name | Xiangcheng |
| Address | Xingang West Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510000, China |
| xcyuan@scsio.ac.cn | |
| Phone | 18078826651 |
| Submit Date | 2025-07-06 |
| Raw Data Available | Yes |
| Raw Data File Type(s) | mzML,wiff,raw(Thermo) |
| Analysis Type Detail | LC-MS |
| Release Date | 2025-09-22 |
| Release Version | 1 |
Select appropriate tab below to view additional metadata details:
Project:
| Project ID: | PR002606 |
| Project DOI: | doi: 10.21228/M8SS0Z |
| Project Title: | National Key R&D Program Project(2022YFC3103602, 2021YFF0502800) |
| Project Summary: | Soft corals (order Alcyonacea), characterized by minimal or absent skeletal structures, have received far less attention compared to reef-building hard corals (order Scleractinia), despite their vulnerability to heat stress. This study investigated the thermal response mechanisms of two symbiotic corals, Galaxea fascicularis (stony coral) and Clavularia inflata (soft coral), which could be found in the same water region and depth in the South China Sea. Using controlled heat stress experiments, we analyzed their photophysiological and metabolomic response. While G. fascicularis maintained stable net photosynthetic rates (Pnet) and increased dark respiration (Rd), C. inflata showed a decline in Rd, a slight Pnet reduction, and a symbiont loss. Metabolic changes in G. fascicularis were primarily focused on energy production (e.g., D-mannose, D-sorbitol, and Succinate) and amino acid metabolism (e.g., D-proline, Glutamic acid, and Histidine). In contrast, C. inflata exhibited a broader range of metabolic shifts, including Glucosamine-6-phosphate (involved in energy pathways), D-proline, Histidine, Tryptophan, and Taurine (amino acid metabolism), Purines and Pyrimidines (nucleotide metabolism), Carnosic acid, Linolenic acid, and Retinene (antioxidants), as well as the dipeptides His-Ser and Lys-Lys. These findings revealed that metabolic adjustments played a key role in thermotolerance in stony coral, while soft coral exhibited a more diverse response and incurred energetic costs in response to thermal stress. This research provided insights into lineage-specific resilience mechanisms, shedding light on why soft corals may be less competitive under heatwaves and contributing to our understanding of shifts in coral reef community composition driven by climate change. |
| Institute: | South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| Last Name: | Yuan |
| First Name: | Xiangcheng |
| Address: | Xingang West Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510000, China |
| Email: | xcyuan@scsio.ac.cn |
| Phone: | 18078826651 |
| Funding Source: | National Key R&D Program Project (2022YFC3103602, 2021YFF0502800). Major Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (42494882). Hainan Province Key R&D Program Project (ZDYF2023SHFZ131). The Key Special Project for Introduced Talents Team of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) (GML2019ZD0404). Natural Resources Science and Technology Strategy Research Project (2023-ZL-66). |
Subject:
| Subject ID: | SU004293 |
| Subject Type: | Invertebrate |
| Subject Species: | Galaxea fascicularis, Clavularia inflata |
| Taxonomy ID: | 46745, 360968 |
Factors:
Subject type: Invertebrate; Subject species: Galaxea fascicularis, Clavularia inflata (Factor headings shown in green)
| mb_sample_id | local_sample_id | Sample source | treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA479481 | QC-2 | holobiont | - |
| SA479482 | QC-3_Discosoma | holobiont | - |
| SA479483 | QC-2_Discosoma | holobiont | - |
| SA479484 | QC-1_Discosoma | holobiont | - |
| SA479485 | QC-1 | holobiont | - |
| SA479486 | QC-3 | holobiont | - |
| SA479487 | QC-6 | holobiont | - |
| SA479488 | QC-4 | holobiont | - |
| SA479489 | QC-5 | holobiont | - |
| SA479490 | CK-6 | holobiont | control |
| SA479491 | CK-5 | holobiont | control |
| SA479492 | CK-4 | holobiont | control |
| SA479493 | CK-3 | holobiont | control |
| SA479494 | CK-2 | holobiont | control |
| SA479495 | CK-1 | holobiont | control |
| SA479496 | RT0-2 | holobiont | control |
| SA479497 | RT0-1 | holobiont | control |
| SA479498 | RT0-5 | holobiont | control |
| SA479499 | RT0-6 | holobiont | control |
| SA479500 | RT0-4 | holobiont | control |
| SA479501 | RT0-3 | holobiont | control |
| SA479502 | RT1-5 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479503 | RT1-4 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479504 | RT1-3 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479505 | RT1-2 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479506 | RT1-1 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479507 | jjsw-1 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479508 | jjsw-2 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479509 | jjsw-3 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479510 | jjsw-4 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479511 | jjsw-5 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479512 | jjsw-6 | holobiont | heat stress |
| SA479513 | RT1-6 | holobiont | heat stress |
| Showing results 1 to 33 of 33 |
Collection:
| Collection ID: | CO004286 |
| Collection Summary: | Summary: Coral samples from the whole coral holobiont were collected for metabolomic analysis to investigate the physiological and thermal tolerance responses of Galaxea fascicularis and Cladiella inflata to acute heat stress. A total of three colonies per species were sampled, processed into 48 individual polyps, and subjected to controlled experimental conditions. Sample Source: Luhuitou Fringing Reef, Sanya Bay, Hainan, China, August 2023. Collection Method: Coral colonies were carefully collected by hand or appropriate tools from the reef, followed by separation into individual healthy polyps from non-marginal regions. Each polyp was affixed to a numbered ceramic base using animal glue (GEL-10, Aron Alpha, Japan) and allowed to recover for 7 days in an outdoor coral aquaculture system designed to replicate natural field conditions. Collection Site: Luhuitou Fringing Reef, Sanya Bay, Hainan, China. |
| Sample Type: | Holobiont |
Treatment:
| Treatment ID: | TR004302 |
| Treatment Summary: | Coral fragments of Galaxea fascicularis (stony coral) and Clavularia inflata (soft coral) were subjected to an acute heat stress experiment. After a 3-day acclimation period at 27 °C, the temperature in the heat treatment group was gradually raised from 27 °C to 33 °C over 2 hours and then maintained at 33 °C for 72 hours. The control group was continuously kept at 27 °C throughout the experiment. Temperature was monitored every 15 minutes using a data logger to ensure precise thermal conditions. This setup simulated short-term heatwave events to evaluate the corals' thermal stress responses under controlled conditions. |
Sample Preparation:
| Sampleprep ID: | SP004299 |
| Sampleprep Summary: | In this study, a standardized protocol was used to extract metabolites from coral samples (Galaxea fascicularis and Clavularia inflata) for non-targeted LC-MS/MS metabolomic analysis. Whole coral holobiont samples (including host tissue and symbiotic algae) were flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen immediately after collection and ground into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. Approximately 100 mg of each powdered sample was mixed with 1 mL of cold methanol/acetonitrile/water (2:2:1, v/v/v). The homogenate was sonicated at low temperature (30 minutes, twice) and centrifuged at 14,000 g for 20 minutes at 4 °C. The resulting supernatant was collected and dried using a vacuum concentrator. Prior to LC-MS analysis, the dried extracts were reconstituted in 100 µL of acetonitrile/water (1:1, v/v). To ensure data quality and instrument stability, pooled Quality Control (QC) samples were prepared by mixing aliquots from all samples and were injected at regular intervals throughout the analytical sequence. |
Chromatography:
| Chromatography ID: | CH005220 |
| Instrument Name: | Agilent 1290 Infinity |
| Column Name: | Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH Amide (100 x 2.1mm,1.7um) |
| Column Temperature: | 25 |
| Flow Gradient: | 0–0.5 min: 95% B 0.5–7.0 min: linear from 95% B to 65% B 7.0–8.0 min: linear from 65% B to 40% B 8.0–9.0 min: hold at 40% B 9.0–9.1 min: return to 95% B 9.1–12.0 min: re-equilibration at 95% B |
| Flow Rate: | 0.5 mL/min |
| Solvent A: | 100% water; 25 mM ammonium acetate; 25 mM ammonium hydroxide |
| Solvent B: | 100% Acetonitrile |
| Chromatography Type: | HILIC |
Analysis:
| Analysis ID: | AN006867 |
| Analysis Type: | MS |
| Chromatography ID: | CH005220 |
| Num Factors: | 3 |
| Num Metabolites: | 4 |
| Units: | Peak area |
| Analysis ID: | AN006868 |
| Analysis Type: | MS |
| Chromatography ID: | CH005220 |
| Num Factors: | 3 |
| Num Metabolites: | 7 |
| Units: | Peak area |
