2.1 Sample collection
Turbinaria peltata specimens were collected from Xuwen Coral Reef National Nature Reserve (109°55′76E, 20°16′N). The corals were temporarily housed in a 200 L tank with the following water conditions: temperature of 26 ℃, pH of 8.0, and salinity of 33 for a duration of 7 days. Artificial seawater was prepared using coral salt from Aquarium Systems in France. The corals were illuminated using a full-spectrum LED lamp (Maxspect) with a light-dark ratio of 12 h:12 h and an effective radiation of 200 µmol (m-2s-1). After the acclimation, Turbinaria peltata colonies were fragmented into 48 pieces and placed in another 200 L tank for an additional week until the corals exhibited normal elongation.