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S ymbiodinium ( D inophyceae) diversity in reef‐invertebrates along an offshore to inshore reef gradient near L izard I sland, G reat B arrier R eef
Author(s) -
Tonk Linda,
Sampayo Eugenia M.,
LaJeunesse Todd C.,
Schrameyer Verena,
HoeghGuldberg Ove
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/jpy.12185
Subject(s) - biology , reef , coral reef , dinoflagellate , marine ecosystem , ecology , marine invertebrates , invertebrate , ecosystem
Despite extensive work on the genetic diversity of reef invertebrate‐dinoflagellate symbioses on the G reat B arrier R eef ( GBR ; A ustralia), large information gaps exist from northern and inshore regions. Therefore, a broad survey was done comparing the community of inshore, mid‐shelf and outer reefs at the latitude of L izard I sland. S ymbiodinium ( F reudenthal) diversity was characterized using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprinting and sequencing of the ITS 2 region of the ribosomal DNA . Thirty‐nine distinct S ymbiodinium types were identified from four subgeneric clades (B, C, D, and G). Several S ymbiodinium types originally characterized from the I ndian O cean were discovered as well as eight novel types (C1kk, C1 LL , C3nn, C26b, C161a, C162, C165, C166). Multivariate analyses on the S ymbiodinium species diversity data showed a strong link with host identity, consistent with previous findings. Of the four environmental variables tested, mean austral winter sea surface temperature ( SST ) influenced S ymbiodinium distribution across shelves most significantly. A similar result was found when the analysis was performed on S ymbiodinium diversity data of genera with an open symbiont transmission mode separately with chl a and PAR explaining additional variation. This study underscores the importance of SST and water quality related variables as factors driving S ymbiodinium distribution on cross‐shelf scales. Furthermore, this study expands our knowledge on S ymbiodinium species diversity, ecological partitioning (including host‐specificity) and geographic ranges across the GBR . The accelerating rate of environmental change experienced by coral reef ecosystems emphasizes the need to comprehend the full complexity of cnidarian symbioses, including the biotic and abiotic factors that shape their current distributions.