01-05 December 2025
INCOIS, Hyderabad, India.
| Abstract Submission No. | ABS-01-0134 |
| Title of Abstract | Thermal priming and epigenetic changes improve heat-tolerance mechanisms of tropical seagrasses under warming ocean along Palk Bay region, southeast coast of India |
| Authors | D Jeyapragash, Praveen Kumar N*, Mariasingarayan Yosuva , Aiswarya Thomas, Saranya Unni |
| Organisation | Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology |
| Address | 440/1,Earikadu, Rasipuram, Tamil Nadu, India Pincode: 636202 E-mail: npraveenkumar484@gmail.com |
| Country | India |
| Presentation | Oral |
| Abstract | Seagrasses, a paraphyletic group of marine angiosperms, are experiencing accelerated global decline due to climate change and other anthropogenic pressures, with ocean warming being a major threat. Despite the ecological importance of seagrasses in blue carbon sequestration and coastal resilience, the mechanisms underlying thermal adaptation and acclimatization remain poorly understood. This study assessed the heat stress response of three tropical seagrasses - Halodule pinifolia, Halophila ovalis, and Enhalus acoroides for the first time through priming and epigenetic approaches. In the experiment, tropical seagrasses were subjected to two thermal regimes: priming (two heat treatments, 1st and 2nd) and non-priming (single extreme heat treatment) under a mesocosm facility. Key photo-physiological, morphological, and gene expression parameters (related to stress, photosynthesis, and methylation) were studied and compared to the control. Findings suggest that primed seagrasses exhibited enhanced thermal resilience with upregulated gene expression and species obtained thermal resilience were ranked in the order E. acoroides > H. pinifolia > H. ovalis than those in non-priming and control conditions respectively. Halophila ovalis showed the highest sensitivity to acute thermal stress, suggesting its limited capacity for thermal acclimation. The study provides first empirical evidence of priming-induced stress memory and epigenetic modulation in the topical seagrasses. Our findings underscore the seagrass adaptive potential of recurring heat exposure in enhancing resilience and offer crucial insights for climate-informed restoration strategies to conserve thermal sensitive seagrass like H. ovalis for long-term ecosystem stability and resilience under future warming scenarios. |
| Are you part of IIOE-2 endorsed project | no |
| Keywords | Climate Change, Ocean warming, Seagrasses, mesocosm, priming and epigenetics |
| For Awards | yes |
| Date Of Birth | 12-12-1999 |
| ECSN Registration Number | IIOE2-ECSN-0119 |