Physiological diversity among sympatric, conspecific endosymbionts of coral (Cladocopium C1acro) from the Great Barrier Reef

Beltran, Victor H.; Puill-Stephan, Eneour; Howells, Emily J.; Flores‐Moya, Antonio; Doblin, Martina A.; Núñez-Lara, Enrique; Escamilla, V.; López, Tomás; Oppen, Madeleine J. H. van

doi:10.1007/s00338-021-02092-z

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 70 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Specifically, the composition of the cell and thylakoid membranes may have been altered, potentially, in response to climate change, progressively warming seawater temperatures around the main Hawaiian Islands and several coral bleaching events (Bahr et al 2017; Couch et al 2017; Rodgers et al 2017; Ritson-Williams and Gates 2020). Similar membrane changes have indeed been experimentally observed in other studies that involved exposing algal symbionts to warmer temperatures (Tchernov et al 2004; Díaz-Almeyda et al 2011; Beltran et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Securing algal endosymbiont communities for reef-building corals

Bouwmeester

Daly

Quinn

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Photosynthetic dinoflagellates that live in symbiosis with corals (family Symbiodiniaceae) are fundamental for the survival of coral reef ecosystems. During coral bleaching events, it is assumed that these symbionts remain available in the water column, in sediments, or are seeded from unbleached coral colonies. Yet, this hypothesis has not been verified and it remains unclear whether some diversity of Symbiodiniaceae may be lost in the process. Culture methods have been developed for some Symbiodiniaceae, but for the vast majority of these photosynthetic symbionts, known culture methods are not successful at maintaining them for extensive periods. For these unculturable symbionts, cryopreservation, which places cells and tissues in suspended animation for days to decades, offers the best hope for saving the biodiversity of these crucial coral partners. Some cryopreservation processes use slow freezing, but if the cells are sensitive to low temperatures, as is the case for Symbiodiniaceae, then rapid freezing, called vitrification, is needed. We here, tested two published vitrification protocols that had been designed for algal symbionts extracted from Hawaiian corals, but we were unable to recover living symbionts after vitrification and warming. Therefore, we report a successful optimisation of the former vitrification protocols, which we tested on algal symbionts freshly extracted from three Hawaiian coral species, the development of ultra-rapid laser-warming cryopreservation techniques for symbionts, and banking procedures for algal symbionts. We also present some successful uptake of cryopreserved algal symbionts by coral larvae, although at a low rate. It is unclear why the former vitrification protocols failed but we propose that it may have been related to thermal stress and bleaching events that occurred on several occasions throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Maintenance of biodiversity is essential for sustaining functional, productive ecosystems with the adaptability to effectively recover from disturbances. By successfully cryopreserving and banking coral symbionts, we provide a critically needed component for securing Symbiodiniaceae biodiversity into the future.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Securing algal endosymbiont communities for reef-building corals

Bouwmeester

Daly

Quinn

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These symbiont cultures were originally isolated from four coral species from the Great Barrier Reef and subsequently grown from a monoclonal culture and described in Chakravarti and van Oppen ( 2018 ) and Chakravarti et al ( 2017 ) (Table 1 ). Cultures include Cladocopium C1 acro (previously referred to as Cladocopium goreaui ; Beltrán et al, 2021 ), Durusdinium sp., Fugacium kawagutii , and Gerakladium sp., formerly types C1, D1, F1, and G3, respectively, and hereafter referred to solely by their generic epithets. In vitro tolerance for each culture was determined previously for temperatures where cultures experienced positive growth and was as follows: Cladocopium 27°C, Durusdinium 30°C, Fugacium 34°C, and Gerakladium 31°C (Chakravarti et al, 2017 ; Chakravarti & van Oppen, 2018 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature‐mediated acquisition of rare heterologous symbionts promotes survival of coral larvae under ocean warming

Matsuda

Chakravarti

Cunning

et al. 2022

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reef‐building corals form nutritional symbioses with endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodiniaceae), a relationship that facilitates the ecological success of coral reefs. These symbionts are mostly acquired anew each generation from the environment during early life stages (“horizontal transmission”). Symbiodiniaceae species exhibit trait variation that directly impacts the health and performance of the coral host under ocean warming. Here, we test the capacity for larvae of a horizontally transmitting coral, Acropora tenuis, to establish symbioses with Symbiodiniaceae species in four genera that have varying thermal thresholds (the common symbiont genera, Cladocopium and Durusdinium, and the less common Fugacium and Gerakladium). Over a 2‐week period in January 2018, a series of both no‐choice and four‐way choice experiments were conducted at three temperatures (27, 30, and 31°C). Symbiont acquisition success and cell proliferation were measured in individual larvae. Larvae successfully acquired and maintained symbionts of all four genera in no‐choice experiments, and >80% of larvae were infected with at least three genera when offered a four‐way choice. Unexpectedly, Gerakladium symbionts increased in dominance over time, and at high temperatures outcompeted Durusdinium, which is regarded as thermally tolerant. Although Fugacium displayed the highest thermal tolerance in culture and reached similar cell densities to the other three symbionts at 31°C, it remained a background symbiont in choice experiments, suggesting host preference for other symbiont species. Larval survivorship at 1 week was highest in larvae associated with Gerakladium and Fugacium symbionts at 27 and 30°C, however at 31°C, mortality was similar for all treatments. We hypothesize that symbionts that are currently rare in corals (e.g., Gerakladium) may become more common and widespread in early life stages under climate warming. Uptake of such symbionts may function as a survival strategy in the wild, and has implications for reef restoration practices that use sexually produced coral stock.

show abstract

“…Not all genetically distinct Symbiodiniaceae taxa exhibit physiological differences (e.g., through functional convergence; Goyen et al, 2017;Suggett et al, 2015), whereas unique isolates of the same taxon may be functionally divergent (e.g., Beltrán et al, 2021;Díaz-Almeyda et al, 2017;Hawkins et al, 2016;Howells et al, 2011;Mansour et al, 2018;Parkinson et al, 2016;Parkinson and Baums, 2014;Russnak et al, 2021). This is not surprising given the effects of strong local selection within reef habitats (Howells et al, 2011;Kriefall et al, 2022;Marhoefer et al, 2021;Suggett et al, 2017;van Oppen et al, 2018) and the role of acclimatization (Torda et al, 2017).…”

Section: Why Do We Need To Characterize Symbiodiniaceae Phenotypic Di...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Building Consensus around the Assessment and Interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae Diversity

Davies¹,

Gamache²,

Howe‐Kerr³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Within microeukaryotes, genetic and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history and ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels of organization. In the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians (e.g., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellies), other marine invertebrates (e.g., sponges, molluscs, flatworms), and protists (e.g., foraminifera), molecular data have been used extensively over the past three decades to describe phenotypes and to make evolutionary and ecological inferences. Despite advances in Symbiodiniaceae genomics, a lack of consensus among researchers with respect to interpreting genetic data has slowed progress in the field and acted as a barrier to reconciling observations. Here, we identify key challenges regarding the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae genetic diversity across three levels: species, populations, and communities. We summarize areas of agreement and highlight techniques and approaches that are broadly accepted. In areas where debate remains, we identify unresolved issues and discuss technologies and approaches that can help to fill knowledge gaps related to genetic and phenotypic diversity. We also discuss ways to stimulate progress, in particular by fostering a more inclusive and collaborative research community. We hope that this perspective will inspire and accelerate coral reef science by serving as a resource to those designing experiments, publishing research, and applying for funding related to Symbiodiniaceae and their symbiotic partnerships.

show abstract

Physiological diversity among sympatric, conspecific endosymbionts of coral (Cladocopium C1acro) from the Great Barrier Reef

Cited by 18 publications

References 70 publications

Securing algal endosymbiont communities for reef-building corals

Securing algal endosymbiont communities for reef-building corals

Temperature‐mediated acquisition of rare heterologous symbionts promotes survival of coral larvae under ocean warming

Building Consensus around the Assessment and Interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae Diversity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About