Degradation and loss of coral reefs due to climate change and other anthropogenic stressors has fueled genomics, proteomics, and genetics research to investigate coral stress response pathways and to identify resilient species, genotypes, and populations to restore these biodiverse ecosystems. Much of the research and conservation effort has understandably focused on the most taxonomically rich regions, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Coral Triangle in the western Pacific. These ecosystems are analogous to tropical rainforests that also house enormous biodiversity and complex biotic interactions among different trophic levels. An alternative model ecosystem for studying coral reef biology is the relatively species poor but abundant coral reefs in the Hawaiian Archipelago that exist at the northern edge of the Indo-Pacific coral distribution. The Hawaiian Islands are the world's most isolated archipelago, geographically isolated from other Pacific reef systems. This region houses about 80 species of scleractinian corals in three dominant genera (Porites, Montipora, and Pocillopora). Here we briefly review knowledge about the Hawaiian coral fauna with a focus on our model species, the rice coral Montipora capitata. We suggest that this simpler, relatively isolated reef system provides an ideal platform for advancing coral biology and conservation using multi-omics and genetic tools.

中文翻译：

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边缘的生命：夏威夷珊瑚进化模型

由于气候变化和其他人为压力源导致的珊瑚礁退化和丧失，推动了基因组学、蛋白质组学和遗传学研究，以研究珊瑚的压力反应途径，并确定有复原力的物种、基因型和种群，以恢复这些生物多样性的生态系统。可以理解，大部分研究和保护工作都集中在生物分类最丰富的地区，例如澳大利亚的大堡礁和西太平洋的珊瑚三角区。这些生态系统类似于热带雨林，它们也拥有巨大的生物多样性和不同营养水平之间复杂的生物相互作用。研究珊瑚礁生物学的另一种模式生态系统是夏威夷群岛中相对稀少但丰富的珊瑚礁，它们存在于印度-太平洋珊瑚分布的北部边缘。夏威夷群岛是世界上最孤立的群岛，在地理上与其他太平洋珊瑚礁系统隔绝。该地区拥有大约 80 种石珊瑚，分为三个优势属（Porites、Montipora和Pocillopora）。在这里，我们简要回顾了有关夏威夷珊瑚动物群的知识，重点介绍了我们的模型物种水稻珊瑚Montipora capitata。我们建议这个更简单、相对孤立的珊瑚礁系统为使用多组学和遗传工具推进珊瑚生物学和保护提供了一个理想的平台。