We investigated the effect of elevated partial pressure of CO 2 (pCO 2 ) on the photosynthesis and growth of four phylotypes (ITS2 types A1, A13, A2, and B1) from the genus Symbiodinium, a diverse dinoflagellate group that is important, both free-living and in symbiosis, for the viability of cnidarians and is thus a potentially important model dinoflagellate group. The response of Symbiodinium to an elevated pCO 2 was phylotype-specific. Phylotypes A1 and B1 were largely unaffected by a doubling in pCO 2 ; in contrast, the growth rate of A13 and the photosynthetic capacity of A2 both increased by , 60%. In no case was there an effect of ocean acidification (OA) upon respiration (dark-or light-dependent) for any of the phylotypes examined. Our observations suggest that OA might preferentially select among free-living populations of Symbiodinium, with implications for future symbioses that rely on algal acquisition from the environment (i.e., horizontal transmission). Furthermore, the carbon environment within the host could differentially affect the physiology of different Symbiodinium phylotypes. The range of responses we observed also highlights that the choice of species is an important consideration in OA research and that further investigation across phylogenetic diversity, for both the direction of effect and the underlying mechanism(s) involved, is warranted.

SummaryGrowing concerns over ocean acidification have highlighted the need to critically understand inorganic carbon acquisition and utilization in marine microalgae. Here, we contrast these characteristics for the first time between two genetically distinct dinoflagellate species of the genus Symbiodinium (phylotypes A13 and A20) that live in symbiosis with reef-forming corals.Both phylotypes were grown in continuous cultures under identical environmental conditions. Rubisco was measured using quantitative Western blots, and radioisotopic 14 C uptake was used to characterize light-and total carbon dioxide (TCO 2 )-dependent carbon fixation, as well as inorganic carbon species preference and external carbonic anhydrase activity. A13 and A20 exhibited similar rates of carbon fixation despite cellular concentrations of Rubisco being approximately four-fold greater in A13. The uptake of CO 2 over HCO À 3 was found to support the majority of carbon fixation in both phylotypes. However, A20 was also able to indirectly utilize HCO À 3 by first converting it to CO 2 via external carbonic anhydrase. These results show that adaptive differences in inorganic carbon acquisition have evolved within the Symbiodinium genus, which thus carries fundamental implications as to how this functionally key genus will respond to ocean acidification, but could also represent a key trait factor that influences their productivity when in hospite of their coral hosts.

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) are sulfur compounds that may function as antioxidants in algae. Symbiotic dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium show strain-specific differences in their susceptibility to temperature-induced oxidative stress and have been shown to contain high concentrations of DMSP. We investigated continuous cultures of four strains from distinct phylotypes (A1, A13, A2, and B1) that can be characterized by differential thermal tolerances. We hypothesized that strains with high thermal tolerance have higher concentrations of DMSP and DMS in comparison to strains with low thermal tolerance. DMSP concentrations were strain-specific with highest concentrations occurring in A1 (225 ± 3.5 mmol · L(-1 ) cell volume [CV]) and lowest in A2 (158 ± 3.8 mmol · L(-1 ) CV). Both strains have high thermal tolerance. Strains with low thermal tolerance (A13 and B1) showed DMSP concentrations in between these extremes (194 ± 19.0 and 160 ± 6.1 mmol · L(-1 ) CV, respectively). DMS data further confirmed this general pattern with high DMS concentrations in A1 and A13 (4.1 ± 1.22 and 2.1 ± 0.37 mmol · L(-1 ) CV, respectively) and low DMS concentrations in A2 and B1 (0.3 ± 0.06 and 0.5 ± 0.22 mmol · L(-1) CV, respectively). Hence, the strain-specific differences in DMSP and DMS concentrations did not match the different abilities of the four phylotypes to withstand thermal stress. Future work should quantify the possible dynamics in DMSP and DMS concentrations during periods of high oxidative stress in Symbiodinium sp. and address the role of these antioxidants in zooxanthellate cnidarians.

This paper published in L&O 56(3): 927-938 (2011) contains an error: One algal isolate was misidentified as an ITS2 type ''A2.'' We have subsequently categorized this isolate as a Symbiodinium isolate within clade A, that matched a previously submitted sequence (accession EU449053) and likely represents another lineage of freeliving Symbiodinium, but does not match the ITS2-type as the aforementioned A2. These errors do not alter the discussion or the conclusions of the article.

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