Biology subjects

Caruso, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Caruso, C..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Marginated aberrant red blood cells induce pathologic vascular stress fluctuations in a computational model of hematologic disorders

Red blood cell (RBC) disorders affect billions worldwide. While alterations in the physical properties of aberrant RBCs and associated hemodynamic changes are readily observed, in conditions such as sickle cell disease and iron deficiency, RBC disorders can also be associated with vascular dysfunction. The mechanisms of vasculopathy in those diseases remain unclear and scant research has explored whether biophysical alterations of RBCs can directly affect vascular function. Here we hypothesize that the purely physical interactions between aberrant RBCs and endothelial cells, due to the margination of stiff aberrant RBCs, play a key role in this phenomenon for a range of disorders. This hypothesis is tested by direct simulations of a cellular scale computational model of blood flow in sickle cell disease, iron deficiency anemia, COVID-19, and spherocytosis. We characterize cell distributions for normal and aberrant RBC mixtures in straight and curved tubes, the latter to address issues of geometric complexity that arise in the microcirculation. In all cases aberrant RBCs strongly localize near the vessel walls (margination) due to contrasts in cell size, shape, and deformability from the normal cells. In the curved channel, the distribution of marginated cells is very heterogeneous, indicating a key role for vascular geometry. Finally, we characterize the shear stresses on the vessel walls; consistent with our hypothesis, the marginated aberrant cells generate large transient stress fluctuations due to the high velocity gradients induced by their near-wall motions. The anomalous stress fluctuations experienced by endothelial cells may be responsible for the observed vascular inflammation. Significance StatementA common and potentially life-threatening complication of blood cell disorders is inflammation and dysfunction of the vascular wall, for reasons that remain unclear. To address this issue, we explore a purely biophysical hypothesis involving red blood cells using detailed computational simulations. Our results show that red blood cells that are pathologically altered in cell shape, size, and stiffness, which occurs in various blood disorders, strongly marginate, residing primarily in the cell-free layer near blood vessel walls, generating large shear stress fluctuations at the vessel wall that may be responsible for endothelial damage and inflammation.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2022

Fine-scale variability in coral bleaching and mortality during a marine heatwave

Coral bleaching and mortality can show significant spatial and taxonomic heterogeneity at local scales, highlighting the need to understand the fine-scale drivers and impacts of thermal stress. In this study, we used structure-from-motion photogrammetry to track coral bleaching, mortality, and changes in community composition during the 2019 marine heatwave in K[a]ne ohe Bay, Hawai i. We surveyed 30 shallow reef patches every 3 weeks for the duration of the bleaching event (August-December) and one year after, resulting in a total of 210 large-area, high-resolution photomosaics that enabled us to follow the fate of thousands of coral colonies through time. We also measured environmental variables such as temperature, sedimentation, depth, and wave velocity at each of these sites, and extracted estimates of habitat complexity (rugosity R and fractal dimension D) from digital elevation models to better understand their effects on patterns of bleaching and mortality. We found that up to 80% of corals experienced moderate to severe bleaching in this period, with peak bleaching occurring in October when heat stress (DHW) reached its maximum. Mortality continued to accumulate as bleaching levels dropped, driving large declines in more heat-susceptible species (77% loss of Pocillopora cover) and moderate declines in heat-tolerant species (19% and 23% for Porites compressa and Montipora capitata, respectively). Declines in live coral were accompanied by a rapid increase in algal cover across the survey sites. Spatial differences in bleaching were significantly linked to habitat complexity and coral species composition, with reefs that were dominated by Pocillopora experiencing the most severe bleaching. Mortality was also influenced by species composition, fractal dimension, and site-level differences in thermal stress. Our results show that spatial heterogeneity in the impacts of bleaching are driven by a mix of environmental variation, habitat complexity, and differences in assemblage composition.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2022

Characterization of undocumented CO2 hydrothermal vents in the Mediterranean Sea: implications for ocean acidification studies

A previously undocumented shallow water hydrothermal field from Sicily (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), is here described based on a multidisciplinary investigation. The field, covering an area of nearly 8000 m2 and ranging in depth from surface to -5 m, was explored in June 2021, to characterise the main physico-chemical features of the water column, describe bottom topography and features, and identify the main megabenthic and nektonic species. Twenty sites were investigated to characterize the carbonate system. Values of pH ranged between 7.84 and 8.04, {Omega}Ca between 3.68 and 5.24 and {Omega}Ar from 2.41 to 3.44. Geochemical analyses of hydrothermal fluids gases revealed a dominance of CO2 (98.1%) along with minor amounts of oxygen and reactive gases. Helium isotope ratios (R/Ra =2.51) and {delta}13CCO2 (3) support an inorganic origin of hydrothermal degassing of CO2 and the ascent of heat and deep-seated magmatic fluids to the surface. Visual census of fishes and megabenthos (mainly sessile organisms) allowed identification of 62 species, of which four are protected by the SPA/BIO Protocol and two by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The macroalgae Halopteris scoparia and Jania rubens and the sponge Sarcotragus sp. were the dominant taxa in the area, while among fishes Coris julis and Chromis chromis were predominant. The preliminary description of this venting field indicates this site as an area of considerable interest and suitable for future experimental studies on ocean acidification.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2022

Coral environmental history is primary driver of algal symbiont composition, despite a mass bleaching event

Coral reefs are iconic examples of climate change impacts because climate-induced heat stress causes the breakdown of the coral-algal symbiosis leading to a spectacular loss of color, termed coral bleaching. To examine the fine-scale dynamics of this process, we re-sampled 600 individually marked Montipora capitata colonies from across K[a]ne ohe Bay, Hawaii and compared the algal symbiont composition before and after the 2019 bleaching event. The relative proportion of the heat-tolerant symbiont Durusdinium in corals increased in most parts of the bay following the bleaching event. Despite this widespread increase in abundance of Durusdinium, the overall algal symbiont community composition was largely unchanged, and hydrodynamically defined regions of the bay retained their distinct pre-bleaching compositions. Furthermore, depth and temperature variability were the most significant drivers of Symbiodiniaceae community composition by site regardless of bleaching intensity or change in relative proportion of Durusdinium. Our results suggest that the plasticity of symbiont composition in corals may be constrained to adaptively match the long-term environmental conditions surrounding the holobiont, independent of an individual corals stress and bleaching response.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

Community composition of coral associated Symbiodiniaceae is driven by fine scale environmental gradients

The survival of reef-building corals is dependent upon a symbiosis between the coral and the community of Symbiodiniaceae. Montipora capitata, one of the main reef building coral species in Hawaii, is known to host a diversity of symbionts, but it remains unclear how they change spatially and whether environmental factors drive those changes. Here, we surveyed the Symbiodiniaceae community in 600 M. capitata colonies from 30 sites across K[a]neohe Bay and tested for host specificity and environmental gradients driving spatial patterns of algal symbiont distribution. We found that the Symbiodiniaceae community differed markedly across sites, with M. capitata in the most open-ocean (northern) site hosting few or none of the genus Durusdinium, whereas individuals at other sites had a mix of Durusdinium and Cladocopium. Our study shows that the algal symbiont community composition responds to fine-scale differences in environmental gradients; depth and temperature variability were the most significant predictor of Symbiodiniaceae community, although environmental factors measured in the study explained only about 20% of observed variation. Identifying and mapping Symbiodiniaceae community distribution at multiple scales is an important step in advancing our understanding of algal symbiont diversity, distribution and evolution, and the potential responses of corals to future environmental change.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

Genetic patterns in Montipora capitata across an environmental mosaic in Kaneohe Bay

Spatial genetic structure (SGS) is important to a populations ability to adapt to environmental change. For species that reproduce both sexually and asexually, the relative contribution of each reproductive mode has important ecological and evolutionary implications because asexual reproduction can have a strong effect on SGS. Reef building corals reproduce sexually, but many species also propagate asexually under certain conditions. In order to understand SGS and the relative importance of reproductive mode across environmental gradients, we evaluated genetic relatedness in almost 600 colonies of Montipora capitata across 30 environmentally characterized sites in K[a]neohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii using low-depth restriction digest associated sequencing. Clonal colonies were relatively rare overall but influenced SGS. Clones were located significantly closer to one another spatially than average colonies and were more frequent on sites where wave energy was relatively high, suggesting a strong role of mechanical breakage in their formation. Excluding clones, we found no evidence of isolation by distance within sites or across the bay. Several environmental characteristics were significant predictors of the underlying genetic variation (including degree heating weeks, time spent above 30{degrees}C, depth, sedimentation rate and wave height); however, they only explained 5% of this genetic variation. Our results show that colony fragmentation contributes to the ecology of M. capitata at local scales and that genetic diversity is maintained despite strong environmental gradients in a highly impacted ecosystem, suggesting potential for broad adaptation or acclimatization in this population.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Host genotype and stable differences in algal symbiont communities explain patterns of thermal stress response of Montipora capitata following thermal pre-exposure and across multiple bleaching events

As sea surface temperatures increase worldwide due to climate change, coral bleaching events are becoming more frequent and severe, resulting in reef degradation. Leveraging the inherent ability of reef-building corals to acclimatize to thermal stress via pre-exposure to protective temperature treatments may become an important tool in improving the resilience of coral reefs to rapid environmental change. We investigated whether historical bleaching phenotype, coral host genotype, and exposure to protective temperature treatments would affect the response of the Hawaiian coral Montipora capitata to natural thermal stress. Fragments were collected from colonies that demonstrated different bleaching responses during the 2014-2015 event in K[a]neohe Bay (Oahu, Hawaii) and exposed to four different artificial temperature pre-treatments (and a control at ambient temperature). After recovery, fragments experienced a natural thermal stress event either in laboratory conditions or their native reef environment. Response to thermal stress was quantified by measuring changes in the algal symbionts photochemical efficiency, community composition, and relative density. Historical bleaching phenotype was reflected in stable differences in symbiont community composition, with historically bleached corals containing only Cladocopium symbionts and historically non-bleached corals having mixed symbiont communities dominated by Durusdinium. Mixed-community corals lost more Cladocopium than Cladocopium-only corals during the natural thermal stress event, and preferentially recovered with Durusdinium. Laboratory pre-treatments exposed corals to more thermal stress than anticipated, causing photochemical damage that varied significantly by genotype. While none of the treatments had a protective effect, temperature variation during treatments had a significant detrimental effect on photochemical efficiency during the thermal stress event. These results show that acclimatization potential is affected by fine-scale differences in temperature regime, host genotype, and relatively stable differences in symbiont community composition that underpin historical bleaching phenotypes in M. capitata.

ecology↗