Celia Schunter

The University of Hong Kong | HKU · Swire Institute of Marine Science

The impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems will depend on species capacity to adapt1, 2. Recent studies show that the behaviour of reef fishes is impaired at projected CO 2 levels3, 4; however, individual variation exists that might promote adaptation. Here, we show a clear signature of parental sensitivity to high CO 2 in the brain mol...

The impacts of ocean acidification will depend on the ability of marine organisms to tolerate, acclimate and eventually adapt to changes in ocean chemistry. Here, we use a unique transgenerational experiment to determine the molecular response of a coral reef fish to short-term, developmental and transgenerational exposure to elevated CO2, and to t...

Volcanic CO2 seeps are natural laboratories that can provide insights into the adaptation of species to ocean acidification. Whilst many species are challenged by reduced pH levels, some species benefit from the altered environment and thrive. Here, we explore the molecular mechanisms of adaptation to ocean acidification in a population of a temper...

Environmental pCO2 variation can modify the responses of marine organisms to ocean acidification, yet the underlying mechanisms for this effect remain unclear. On coral reefs, environmental pCO2 fluctuates on a regular day-night cycle. Effects of future ocean acidification on coral reef fishes might therefore depend on their response to this diel c...

Coral reef fish exhibit a large variety of behaviours crucial for fitness and survival. The cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus displays cognitive abilities during interspecific interactions by providing services of ectoparasite cleaning, thus serving as a good model to understand the processes of complex social behaviour. However, little is known...

Comprehensive assessments of coastal biodiversity in complex coral communities are crucial but challenging, particularly under unfavorable conditions such as poor underwater visibility in urbanized and eutrophic environments. Here we aim to examine the scope of underwater diversity detection and community shifts across habitat transitions spanning...

Anthropogenic activities, such as the introduction of non-native aquaculture species, have significantly altered trophic interactions in marine ecosystems. The hybrid grouper (TGGG), an aquaculture product originating from an artificial F1 crossbreed between Epinephelus fuscoguttatus and E. lanceolatus, has been released into the wild through relig...

Organisms’ responses to environmental changes involve complex, coordinated responses of multiple tissues and potential parental influences. Here using a multi-tissue approach we determine how variation in parental behavioural tolerance and exposure to elevated CO2 influences the developmental and intergenerational molecular responses of their offsp...

Cephalopods play a central ecological role across all oceans and realms. However, under the current climate crisis, their physiology and behaviour are impacted, and we are beginning to comprehend the effects of environmental stressors at a molecular level. Here, we study the Hawaiian bobtail squid ( Euprymna scolopes ), known for its specific binar...

Temperature is a crucial factor affecting the physiology of ectothermic animals, but exposure to elevated temperature during specific life stages and across generations may confer fish resilience through phenotypic plasticity. In this study, we investigate the effects of developmental and parental temperature on brain activity response to an olfact...

In the past decade Hong Kong’s live reef food fish trade (LRFFT) imported 200,000 tons of live fish for human consumption. The substantial demand for LRFF, worth over USD$ 2 billion, contributes to over-exploitation of tropical fish species. Here, we evaluate the temporal and species trends in Hong Kong’s LRFFT, testing potential associations with...

Climate change stressors are progressively simplifying biogenic habitats in the terrestrial and marine realms, and consequently altering the structure of associated species communities. Here, we used a volcanic CO2 seep in Papua New Guinea to test in situ if altered reef architecture due to ocean acidification reshuffles associated fish assemblages...

Background The nervous system is central to coordinating behavioural responses to environmental change, likely including ocean acidification (OA). However, a clear understanding of neurobiological responses to OA is lacking, especially for marine invertebrates. Results We evaluated the transcriptomic response of the central nervous system (CNS) an...

One crucial interaction for the health of fish communities in coral reefs is performed by the cleaner fish by removing ectoparasites and other particles from the body of other fish, so called clients. Studying the underlying mechanisms of this behaviour is essential to understanding how species react to social stimuli and defining the drivers of mu...

While ocean acidification (OA) impacts the behaviour of marine organisms, the complexity of neurosystems makes linking behavioural impairments to environmental change difficult. Using a simple model, we exposed Aplysia to ambient or elevated CO2 conditions (approx. 1500 µatm) and tested how OA affected the neuromolecular response of the pleural–ped...

With temperature being a crucial factor affecting the physiology of ectothermic animals, global warming will likely impact neural mechanisms aquatic organisms use to perceive their environment over generations. However, exposure to elevated temperature during specific life stages and across generations may confer fish resilience through phenotypic...

Background Alternative splicing is a fundamental mechanism of gene expression regulation that increases the mRNA diversity expressed from the genome and can be partially regulated by the circadian clock. The time-dependent production of transcript isoforms from the same gene facilitates coordination of biological processes with the time of day and...

Population and species persistence in a rapidly warming world will be determined by an organism’s ability to acclimate to warmer conditions, especially across generations. There is potential for transgenerational acclimation but the importance of ontogenetic timing in the transmission of environmentally induced parental effects remains mostly unkno...

Overexploitation is a major threat to marine ecosystems, causing collapse of numerous fisheries since the 19th century. The Hong Kong Grouper (Epinephelus akaara) is a commercial fish species that suffered at least 50-80% population declines in the past 40 years throughout its distribution range. Yet there has been minimal research or specific mana...

The environment experienced by one generation has the potential to affect the subsequent one through non‐genetic inheritance of parental effects. Since both mothers and fathers can influence their offspring, questions arise regarding how the maternal, paternal and offspring experiences integrate into the resulting phenotype. We aimed to disentangle...

The majority of the transcribed genome does not have coding potential but these non‐coding transcripts play crucial roles in transcriptional and post‐transcriptional regulation of protein‐coding genes. Regulation of gene expression is important in shaping an organism's response to environmental changes, ultimately impacting their survival and persi...

Temperature is a primary factor affecting the physiology of ectothermic animals and global warming of water bodies may therefore impact aquatic life. Understanding the effects of near-future predicted temperature changes on the behaviour and underlying molecular mechanisms of aquatic animals is of particular importance, since behaviour mediates sur...

An organism's reaction to environmental changes is mediated by coordinated responses of multiple tissues. Additionally, parental priming may increase offsprings' acclimation potential to changing environmental conditions. As the effects of human-induced climate change, such as ocean acidification (OA), continue to intensify it is critical to assess...

Ocean acidification (OA) has numerous impacts on marine organisms including behaviour. While behaviours are controlled in the neuro system, its complexity makes linking behavioural impairments to environmental change difficult. Here we use a neurological model Aplysia californica with well-studied simple neuro system and behaviours. By exposing Apl...

Mutualistic interactions, which constitute some of the most advantageous interactions among fish species, are highly vulnerable to environmental changes. A key mutualistic interaction is the cleaning service rendered by the cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, which involves intricate processes of social behaviour to remove ectoparasites from clie...

Anthropogenic activities, such as non-native aquaculture species introduction have been considerably altering trophic interactions in marine ecosystems. The hybrid grouper (TGGG), an aquaculture product originated from artificial F1 crossbreed between Epinephelus fuscoguttatus and E. lanceolatus, have been released in the wild through religious act...

The environment experienced by one generation has the potential to affect the subsequent one through non-genetic inheritance of parental effects. Since both mothers and fathers can influence their offspring, questions arise regarding how the maternal, paternal and offspring experiences integrate into the resulting phenotype. We aimed to disentangle...

Population and species persistence in a rapidly warming world will be determined by an organisms' ability to acclimate to warmer conditions, especially across generations. There is potential for transgenerational acclimation, but the importance of ontogenetic timing in the transmission of environmentally induced parental effects remains mostly unkn...

The mantis shrimps are the only animal species known to science that can recognize circularly polarized light (CPL). Here we explored the morphological and molecular mechanisms of CPL recognition in Oratosquilla oratoria , a typical species of mantis shrimps. Through multilayer microscopy, we discovered the cross-arranged microvilli and the oval di...

Background Cleaning symbioses are captivating interspecific interactions in which a cleaner fish removes ectopara‐ sites from its client, contributing to the health and diversity of natural fish communities and aquaculture systems. However, the genetic signatures underlying this specialized behaviour remain poorly explored. To shed light on this, w...

The nervous system is central to coordinating behavioural responses to environmental change, likely including ocean acidification (OA). However, a clear understanding of neurobiological responses to OA is lacking, especially for marine invertebrates. We evaluated the transcriptomic response of the central nervous system (CNS) and eyes of the two-to...

The nervous system is central to coordinating behavioural responses to environmental change, likely including ocean acidification (OA). However, a clear understanding of neurobiological responses to OA is lacking, especially for marine invertebrates. We evaluated the transcriptomic response of the central nervous system (CNS) and eyes of the two-to...

Mutualistic interactions, which constitute some of the most advantageous interactions among fish species, are highly vulnerable to environmental changes. A key mutualistic interaction is the cleaning service rendered by the cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, which involves intricate processes of social behaviour to remove ectoparasites from clie...

Ocean acidification (OA) is known to affect the physiology, survival, behaviour and fitness of various fish species with repercussions at the population, community and ecosystem levels. Some fish species, however, seem to acclimate rapidly to OA conditions and even thrive in acidified environments. The molecular mechanisms that enable species to su...

Temperature is a primary factor affecting the survival, development, and physiology of aquatic ectothermic animals and global warming of water bodies may therefore impact several biological levels of aquatic life. Understanding the effects of near-future predicted temperature changes on the behaviour and the underlying molecular mechanisms of aquat...

Genetic variation is essential for adaptation to rapid environmental changes. Identifying genetic variation associated with climate-change related phenotypes is therefore the necessary first step towards predictive models of genomic vulnerability. Here we used a whole-genome scan to identify candidate genetic variants associated with differences in...

Changes in ocean chemistry resulting from increasing acidification have direct impacts on the physiology and behaviour of teleosts. Ocean acidification (OA) can also affect species behaviour, survival and fitness with repercussions at population, community and ecosystem levels. Volcanic CO2 seeps offer a unique opportunity to study in situ both the...

The majority of the transcribed genome does not have coding potential but is composed of non-coding transcripts that are involved in transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of protein-coding genes. Regulation of gene expression is important in determining the response of organisms to changes in the environment, and therefore their persi...

Exploited fish species may have or are experiencing declines in population sizes coupled with changes in their environmental conditions owing to global change. Declining populations might lead to a decrease in genetic diversity, which in turn may produce losses of adaptive potential to face current and future environmental changes. Thus, this study...

Coral reef fish exhibit a large variety of behaviours crucial for fitness and survival. The cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus displays cognitive abilities during interspecific interactions by providing services of ectoparasite cleaning, thus serving as a good example to understand the processes of complex social behaviour. However, little is know...

Alternative splicing is a molecular mechanism that enables a single gene to encode multiple transcripts and proteins by post-transcriptional modification of pre-RNA molecules. Changes in the splicing scheme of genes can lead to modifications of the transcriptome and the proteome. This mechanism can enable organisms to respond to environmental fluct...

Ocean acidification (OA) is postulated to affect the physiology, behavior, and life‐history of marine species, but potential for acclimation or adaptation to elevated pCO2 in wild populations remains largely untested. We measured brain transcriptomes of six coral reef fish species at a natural volcanic CO2 seep and an adjacent control reef in Papua...

Exploited fish species may have or are experiencing declines in population sizes coupled with a decrease in genetic diversity. This can lead to the loss of adaptive potential to face current and future environmental changes. However, little is known about this subject while research on it is urgently needed. Thus, this study aims to answer a simple...

Knowledge of adaptive potential is crucial to predicting the impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on marine organisms. In the spiny damselfish, Acanthochromis polyacanthus , individual variation in behavioural tolerance to elevated pCO 2 has been observed and is associated with offspring gene expression patterns in the brain. However, the maternal a...

Alternative splicing is a molecular mechanism that enables a single gene to encode multiple transcripts and proteins by post-transcriptional modification of pre-RNA molecules. Changes in the splicing scheme of genes can lead to modifications of the transcriptome and the proteome. This mechanism can enable organisms to respond to environmental fluct...

The Arabian pupfish, Aphanius dispar , is a euryhaline fish inhabiting both inland nearly-freshwater desert ponds and highly saline Red Sea coastal lagoons of the Arabian Peninsula. Desert ponds and coastal lagoons, located respectively upstream and at the mouths of dry riverbeds (“wadies”), have been found to potentially become connected during pe...

The Arabian pupfish, Aphanius dispar, is a euryhaline fish inhabiting both inland nearly-freshwater desert ponds and highly saline Red Sea coastal lagoons of the Arabian Peninsula. Red Sea populations have been found to receive migrants from desert ponds that are flushed out to sea during flash floods, requiring rapid acclimation to a greater than...

Environmental CO2 variation can modify the responses of marine organisms to ocean acidification, yet the underlying mechanisms for this effect remain unclear. On coral reefs, environmental CO2 fluctuates on a regular day-night cycle. Effects of future ocean acidification on coral reef fishes might therefore depend on their response to this diel cyc...

The unstable nature of freshwater ponds in arid landscapes represent a sizable challenge for strictly aquatic organisms, such as fishes. Yet the Arabian Desert, bordering the coastline of the Red Sea, plays host to a species very well adapted to such extreme environments: the Arabian pupfish, Aphanius dispar. In this study, we estimated patterns of...

Elevated CO2 levels predicted to occur by the end of the century can affect the physiology and behavior of marine fishes. For one important survival mechanism, the response to chemical alarm cues from conspecifics, substantial among-individual variation in the extent of behavioral impairment when exposed to elevated CO2 has been observed in previou...

Quantitative proteomics via mass spectrometry can provide valuable insight into molecular and phenotypic characteristics of a living system. Recent mass spectrometry developments include data‐independent acquisition (SWATH/DIA‐MS), an accurate, sensitive, and reproducible method for analyzing the whole proteome. The main requirement for this method...

Elevated CO 2 levels predicted to occur by the end of the century can affect the physiology and behaviour of marine fishes. For one important survival mechanism, the response to chemical alarm cues from conspecifics, substantial among-individual variation in the extent of behavioural impairment when exposed to elevated CO 2 has been observed in pre...

The marine heatwave of 2016 was one of the longest and hottest thermal anomalies recorded on the Great Barrier Reef, influencing multiple species of marine ectotherms, including coral reef fishes. There is a gap in our understanding of what the physiological consequences of heatwaves in wild fish populations are. Thus, in this study, we used liver...

Quantitative proteomics via mass spectrometry can provide valuable insight into molecular and phenotypic characteristics of a living system. Recent mass spectrometry developments include data-independent acquisition (SWATH/DIA-MS), an accurate, sensitive, and reproducible method for analyzing the whole proteome. The main requirement for this method...

Maladaptive behavioural disturbances have been reported in some fishes and aquatic invertebrates exposed to projected future CO2 levels. These disturbances have been linked to altered ion gradients and neurotransmitter function in the brain. Still, it seems surprising that the relatively small ionic changes induced by near-future CO2 levels can hav...

Abstract Dispersal is one of the main determining factors of population structure. In the marine habitat, well-connected populations with large numbers of reproducing individuals are common but even so population structure can exist on a small-scale. Variation in dispersal patterns between populations or over time is often associated to geographic...