Pushing the limits: expanding the temperature tolerance of a coral photosymbiont through differing selection regimes

Coral thermal bleaching resilience can be improved by enhancing photosymbiont thermal tolerance via experimental evolution. While successful for some strains, selection under stable temperatures was ineffective at increasing the thermal threshold of an already thermo-tolerant photosymbiont (Durusdinium trenchii). Corals from environments with fluctuating temperatures tend to have comparatively high heat tolerance. Therefore, we investigated whether exposure to temperature oscillations can raise the upper thermal limit of D. trenchii. We exposed a D. trenchii strain to stable and fluctuating temperatures profiles, which varied in oscillation frequency. After 2.1 years (54-73 generations), we characterised the adaptive responses under the various experimental evolution treatments by constructing thermal performance curves of growth from 21 to 31°C for the heat-evolved and wild-types lineages. Additionally, oxidative stress, photophysiology, photosynthesis and respiration rates were assessed under increasing temperatures. Of the fluctuating temperature profiles investigated, selection under the most frequent oscillations (diurnal) induced the greatest widening of D. trenchii’s thermal niche. Continuous selection under elevated temperatures induced the only increase in thermal optimum and a degree of generalism. Our findings demonstrate how differing levels of thermal homogeneity during selection drive unique adaptative responses to heat in a coral photosymbiont.