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Platax 17: Ⅰ-Ⅳ, 2020
doi: 10.29926/platax.202012_17.0001

Editor’s preamble to the 2020 edition of Platax
In this 17th issue of Platax, we aredatasets from two model reef corals-

proud to present seven articles centered

Pocillopora acuta and Seriatopora hystrix,

around two major research themes: coral

respectively-reefs (Fig. 1) and ichthyology. Mayfield &elevated and highly variable temperatures,Chen (pp. 1-26) and Mayfield (pp. 27-52)

respectively, and documented fundamental

have taken a closer look at gene expression

shifts in how these widely distributed

exposedtosustained-Fig. 1. A typical hard+soft coral assemblage along the forereef (~5 m) of Taiwan’s
Dongsha Atoll (South China Sea). Although the corals appear healthy in thisimage (taken in April 2016 by myself), the hermatypic corals of these reefs havesince undergone significant bleaching (whereby the coral-dinoflagellate
mutualism disintegrates) due to abnormally high temperatures associated with
global climate change.
IPlatax 17: Ⅰ-Ⅳ, 2020
doi: 10.29926/platax.202012_17.0001

Indo-Pacific corals respond to changes inthey call “alternative stable states;”

temperature over long- and short-term

although such corals continue to grow andtimescales,

havereproduce, their cellular biology has

postulated that marine environments may

fundamentally shifted (Fig. 2). A lesshave become so compromised on accountparsimonious,of global climate change (GCC) and otherexplanation for these unexpected findings

anthropogenic stressors (Hoegh-Guldberg

is that these corals are simply perpetually

et al., 2017) that these coral species, andand sub-lethally stressed.

respectively.

Theylikely most others, currently exist in whatHowyetlongmore

theseforeboding,constitutivelyFig. 2. A diagnostic chart depicting the difficulties in assessing coral health relative to human health. In thisexample, coral patient A (“Coral A”) has presented abnormally high heat shock protein 70 mRNA
expression levels relative to values obtained in conspecifics sampled across the Indo-Pacific as part of
the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation’s “Global Reef Expedition” (the largest coral reef
survey+sampling endeavor ever undertaken). Based on this marker alone, we would surmise that Coral
A is potentially stressed. However, its expression levels of the second and third markers, superoxide
dismutase and catalase, respectively, are well below those of “normal” corals, but substantially above
values measured in healthy (non-coral) animals. Based on these data, then, would Coral A represent ahealthy coral or one that has instead entered into an “alternative stable state” (sensu Mayfield & Chen
pp. 1-26)?

IIPlatax 17: Ⅰ-Ⅳ, 2020
doi: 10.29926/platax.202012_17.0001

compromised coral phenotypes can bebaseline” levels of biodiversity against

maintained is currently unknown, thoughwhich future change can be tracked.

many marine biologists are planning forSpecifically, Tang (pp. 77-84), Lai (pp. 85-

the worst with respect to GCC and other102), Tang & Chan (pp. 103-112), andhuman impacts on marine organisms. For

Kawai & Ho (pp. 113-117) describe new

this reason, Lin (pp. 53-76) has reviewed

records of fish species in Taiwan (Fig. 3),progress in the coral cryopreservation field.

a country situated at the northern terminus

In a better world, this approach would beof

used strictly for research purposes (e.g.,Triangle.” Through their collective efforts,sharingcolleagues);

we now have a better understanding of theunfortunately, it is clear that, in many parts

teleost fish biodiversity around the country,of the world, coral reefs have become sowhere well over 3,000 species have now

marginalized that the framework-buildingbeenscleractinians can no longer survive

specimens archived at Academia Sinica &without

Since

the National Museum of Marine Biology

aquarium husbandry of extinction-prone& Aquarium). It is my hope that suchspecies is challenging (though significant

findings not only reflect how much work

advances have been made; see Chang et al.,is left to be done in cataloging Taiwan’s

2020 & Huang et al., 2020.), our best bet

rich marine life, but constitute a better

may, sadly, be to cryopreserve the genetic

justification for limiting our reliance onmaterial

thermo-sensitive

fossil fuels and wild-caught fish byinvertebrates (as well as the gastrodermal

demonstrating just how much we have todinoflagellate symbionts critical to theirlose with respect to Earth’s marinesurvival).

heritage.

samplesamonghumanofThis

intervention.

thesewould

allow

futuretheultra-high-biodiversity

conclusively

identified“Coral(withscientists to thaw the cryopreserved
specimens and reseed reefs (or husbandry

References

facilities)

Chang, T.C., A.B. Mayfield & T.Y. Fan. 2020.
Culture systems
influence thephysiological performance of the softcoral Sarcophyton glaucum. Scientific
Reports 10, 20200.
Hoegh-Guldberg, O., E.S. Poloczanska, W.
Skirving & S. Dove. 2017. Coral reef
ecosystems under climate change andocean acidification. Frontiers in Marine
Science, 4:158.
Huang, Y.L., A.B. Mayfield & T.Y. Fan. 2020.

when/ifseawaterqualityconditions have once again becomefavorable for coral survival.
Although not directly linked toenvironmental change, the remaining four
articles in this year’s issue neverthelessaddress one common goal of the marine
biologyfield:

documenting“currentIIIPlatax 17: Ⅰ-Ⅳ, 2020
doi: 10.29926/platax.202012_17.0001

Effects of feeding on the physiological
performance of the stony coral
Pocillopora acuta. Scientific Reports,10, 19988.

Fig. 3. Although the reef fish biodiversity of Dongsha Atoll is high, the virtual absence oflarge predators from shallow reef areas (2-30 m) evident from this representative
image (taken by myself) may point to overfishing in this often-thought “remote,”
relatively “pristine” area (which is unfortunately well within reach of Vietnamese& Cantonese fishing vessels).

IV