We experimentally enriched corals with dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphate for 15 months on an oligotrophic fore reef in Mo'orea, French Polynesia. Our physiological analysis of coral fragments and thermal performance show that in an oligotrophic fore reef environment, nutrient enrichment can cause changes in coral endosymbiont physiology that increase the performance of the coral holobiont. To assess the molecular underpinnings of the enhanced thermal performance due to chronic low nutrient enrichment, we assessed gene expression with RNASeq and the potential for gene expression regulation through whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS). Sequencing of mtORF for 32 samples of Pocillopora spp. (n=16 per treatment) identified three possible species (Pocillopora meandrina, Pocillopora eydouxi, and an unidentified variant). To delineate between Pocillopora meandrina and Pocillopora eydouxi we will be using a new set of primers following methods found in Johnston et al. 2018.
