Glossary
Acclimation: The process of an individual organism adjusting to its environment
Adaptation via Natural Selection: Where organisms that possess heritable traits that enable them to better survive in their environment compared with other members of their species will be more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass more of their genes on to the next generation
Adaptive Gene Expression: Acclamatory changes to gene expression due to changes in the frequencies of gene regulatory variants or other DNA-based controls of gene expression
Aerosols: Particles suspended in air
Alkalinity: The capacity of water to buffer changes in pH, frequently occurring through the presence of calcium carbonate
Allee Effect: Reduced fitness caused by a low population density
Allele: A variant form of a gene at a particular locus on a chromosome
Aragonite: A form of calcium carbonate used by marine calcifiers (e.g., coral) to build skeletons
Aragonite Saturation State (Ωa): The concentration of aragonite ions in seawater, influencing the ability for marine calcifiers to build their skeletons
Bleaching: A response by corals to stress that includes the ejection of symbiotic algae, resulting in a loss of color
Broodstock: Individuals held in facilities for breeding
Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3): A biologically important mineral found in rocks and dissolved in seawater used by calcifying organisms to build skeletons
Colony (coral): A group of genetically identical coral polyps
Community: The individuals of all species within a defined ecological area
Coral Gardening: The propagation of coral fragments in nurseries
CRISPR/Cas9: A gene-editing platform in which an endonuclease and a guide RNA are used to introduce double strand breaks at a specified location within the genome
Cultivation: Rearing of organisms in a controlled environment such as a nursery or a laboratory
Degree Heating Week: A coral bleaching susceptibility metric defined by the sum of excess degrees of heat over the number of weeks of exposure
Dinoflagellates: Single-celled algae from the phylum Dinoflagellata, including those symbiotic to coral
Dysbiosis: Disruption in the balance of a body’s microbiota
Epigenetic: Modifications to DNA that are not sequence-based but control gene expression
Fragmentation: Division of a coral colony into genetically identical pieces
Gamete: The sperm and eggs cells that fuse for fertilization
Gene: A segment of DNA that serves as the basic unit of heredity
Gene Drive: A system of biased inheritance in which the ability of a genetic element to pass from a parent to its offspring through sexual reproduction is enhanced
Gene Flow: The transfer of genetic information from one population into another population
Genetic Rescue: An increase in population fitness due to the introduction of new alleles
Genome: The complete sequence of DNA in an organism
Genotype: The traits of an organism defined by its genome
Heterosis: Increased fitness in offspring compared to the parents
Hormesis: Where a beneficial response is induced following the application of a low dose of a stressor that would be harmful at higher doses
Hybrid: The offspring of two plants or animals of different species or varieties
Macroalgae: Multicellular algae, frequently known as seaweed
Metabolomics: The study of metabolites—molecules used in metabolism
Microbiome: Microorganisms within a defined community including prokaryotes, fungi, viruses, and algae
Ocean Acidification: Reduction in the pH of the ocean caused by increasing concentration of CO2
Ontogeny: The development of an organism from the time of fertilization to the adult form
Outbreeding Depression: A result of outcrossing where there is a loss of local adaptation or disruption of co-adapted gene complexes that led to a reduction in fitness
Outcrossing: Breeding of individuals that are not closely related to introduce genetic diversity
Phage: Viruses that specifically target and infect bacteria
Phenotype: The observable traits of an organism
Photo-oxidation: Chemical breakdown in the presence of oxygen caused by light
Physiological: Pertaining to an organism’s body parts and functions
Planula: A free-swimming larva characterized by a flattened, ciliated shape
Polyp (coral): The form of an individual coral animal and other cnidarians such as sea anemones
Population: All of the individuals of a given species within a defined ecological area
Propagule: Any form of an animal that acts as the basis for transmission to new areas
Proteomics: The study of proteins
Reactive Oxygen Species: Oxygenated molecules whose productive is increased in times of stress and may cause damage cells
Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP): Scenarios of future greenhouse gas concentration trajectories based on possible emissions and response options, developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Scleractinia: The taxonomic order of hard skeleton, reef-building corals
Selection: Differential survival and reproduction of organisms
Symbiodiniaceae: The taxonomic family of dinoflagellates symbiotic to coral
Symbiont: An organism living symbiotically with another, either as an endosymbiont (within the host’s cells) or an exosymbiont (outside of the host’s cells)
Transcriptomics: The study of transcriptomes, the RNA molecules in a cell
Unfolded Protein Response: A cellular response to the protein unfolding, which can occur as a result of environmental stress
Xanthophyll Cycling: A mechanisms in algae and plants for dissipating energy caused by light incidence to protect photosynthetic reaction centers
Zooxanthellae: Single-celled photosynthetic dinoflagellates that live symbiotically with marine organisms, including coral
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