title: Two functionally distinct ciliates dwelling in Acropora corals in the South China Sea near Sanya, Hainan Province, China.
abstract: We detected and characterized two distinct scuticociliate ciliates inside Acropora corals in the South China Sea. One, voraciously foraging on Symbiodinium, resembled the brown band disease of ciliates. The other, which is closely related to Paranophrys magna, grazed on detritus instead of Symbiodinium. These two ciliates may serve contrasting functions (competitor versus "cleaner") in the coral-ciliate-Symbiodinium triangular relationship.
authors.affiliation: LMB and LED, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Science, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Dajun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Liangmin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jianhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Senjie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000469:parasitology*; D002681:China; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010802:Phylogeny; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S