Open AccessThe distribution of the thermally tolerant symbiont lineage ( S ymbiodinium clade D) in corals from H awaii: correlations with host and the history of ocean thermal stress
Author(s) -
Stat Michael,
Pochon Xavier,
Franklin Erik C.,
Bruno John F.,
Casey Kenneth S.,
Selig Elizabeth R.,
Gates Ruth D.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.17
H-Index - 63
ISSN - 2045-7758
DOI - 10.1002/ece3.556
Subject(s) - clade , biology , coral , lobata , capitata , reef , gorgonian , symbiodinium , ecology , botany , zoology , symbiosis , phylogenetics , paleontology , biochemistry , gene , bacteria , brassica oleracea , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , pueraria
Spatially intimate symbioses, such as those between scleractinian corals and unicellular algae belonging to the genus S ymbiodinium , can potentially adapt to changes in the environment by altering the taxonomic composition of their endosymbiont communities. We quantified the spatial relationship between the cumulative frequency of thermal stress anomalies ( TSA s) and the taxonomic composition of S ymbiodinium in the corals M ontipora capitata , P orites lobata , and P orites compressa across the H awaiian archipelago. Specifically, we investigated whether thermally tolerant clade D S ymbiodinium was in greater abundance in corals from sites with high frequencies of TSA s. We recovered 2305 S ymbiodinium ITS 2 sequences from 242 coral colonies in lagoonal reef habitats at P earl and H ermes A toll, F rench F rigate S hoals, and K aneohe B ay, O ahu in 2007. Sequences were grouped into 26 operational taxonomic units ( OTU s) with 12 OTU s associated with M ontipora and 21 with P orites . Both coral genera associated with S ymbiodinium in clade C, and these co‐occurred with clade D in M . capitata and clade G in P . lobata . The latter represents the first report of clade G S ymbiodinium in P . lobata . In M . capitata (but not P orites spp.), there was a significant correlation between the presence of S ymbiodinium in clade D and a thermal history characterized by high cumulative frequency of TSA s. The endogenous community composition of S ymbiodinium and an association with clade D symbionts after long‐term thermal disturbance appear strongly dependent on the taxa of the coral host.