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Reef endemism, host specificity and temporal stability in populations of symbiotic dinoflagellates from two ecologically dominant Caribbean corals


Metadata FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributorScott Santos, santosr@auburn.eduen_US
dc.creatorThornhill, Daniel J
dc.creatorXiang, Yu
dc.creatorFitt, William K
dc.creatorSantos, Scott R
dc.date.accessioned2019-07-01T19:46:55Z
dc.date.available2019-07-01T19:46:55Z
dc.date.created2009-07-07
dc.identifier10.1371/journal.pone.0006262en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0006262en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11200/49426
dc.description.abstractBACKGROUND: The dinoflagellate genus Symbiodinium forms symbioses with numerous protistan and invertebrate metazoan hosts. However, few data on symbiont genetic structure are available, hindering predictions of how these populations and their host associations will fair in the face of global climate change. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, Symbiodinium population structure from two of the Caribbean's ecologically dominant scleractinian corals, Montastraea faveolata and M. annularis, was examined. Tagged colonies on Florida Keys and Bahamian (i.e., Exuma Cays) reefs were sampled from 2003-2005 and their Symbiodinium diversity assessed via internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) rDNA and three Symbiodinium Clade B-specific microsatellite loci. Generally, the majority of host individuals at a site harbored an identical Symbiodinium ITS2 "type" B1 microsatellite genotype. Notably, symbiont genotypes were largely reef endemic, suggesting a near absence of dispersal between populations. Relative to the Bahamas, sympatric M. faveolata and M. annularis in the Florida Keys harbored unique Symbiodinium populations, implying regional host specificity in these relationships. Furthermore, within-colony Symbiodinium population structure remained stable through time and environmental perturbation, including a prolonged bleaching event in 2005. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together, the population-level endemism, specificity and stability exhibited by Symbiodinium raises concerns about the long-term adaptive capacity and persistence of these symbioses in an uncertain future of climate change.en_US
dc.formatPDFen_US
dc.relation.ispartofPLoS Oneen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries1932-6203en_US
dc.rights© 2009. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en_US
dc.subjectAnthozoaen_US
dc.subjectDinoflagellidaen_US
dc.subjectEcologyen_US
dc.subjectSpecies Specificityen_US
dc.subjectSymbiosisen_US
dc.titleReef endemism, host specificity and temporal stability in populations of symbiotic dinoflagellates from two ecologically dominant Caribbean coralsen_US
dc.typeCollectionen_US
dc.type.genreJournal Article, Academic Journalen_US
dc.citation.volume4en_US
dc.citation.issue7en_US
dc.citation.spagee6262en_US
dc.description.statusPublisheden_US
dc.description.peerreviewYesen_US

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