title: A nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry study of dinoflagellate functional diversity in reef-building corals.
abstract: Nutritional interactions between corals and symbiotic dinoflagellate algae lie at the heart of the structural foundation of coral reefs. Whilst the genetic diversity of Symbiodinium has attracted particular interest because of its contribution to the sensitivity of corals to environmental changes and bleaching (i.e. disruption of coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis), very little is known about the in hospite metabolic capabilities of different Symbiodinium types. Using a combination of stable isotopic labelling and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS), we investigated the ability of the intact symbiosis between the reef-building coral Isopora palifera, and Symbiodinium C or D types, to assimilate dissolved inorganic carbon (via photosynthesis) and nitrogen (as ammonium). Our results indicate that Symbiodinium types from two clades naturally associated with I. palifera possess different metabolic capabilities. The Symbiodinium C type fixed and passed significantly more carbon and nitrogen to its coral host than the D type. This study provides further insights into the metabolic plasticity among different Symbiodinium types in hospite and strengthens the evidence that the more temperature-tolerant Symbiodinium D type may be less metabolically beneficial for its coral host under non-stressful conditions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.|Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Cluster (C3), Faculty of Science, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3431-2104
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pernice
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tonk
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dove
authors.affiliation: UMR7245, Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Domart-Coulon
authors.affiliation: Particle Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.affiliation: Large-Instrument Facility for Advanced Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Arno
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schintlmeister
authors.affiliation: Large-Instrument Facility for Advanced Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9778-7684
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.|Center for Advanced Surface Analysis, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meibom
mesh_terms: D064751:Ammonium Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D057894:Coral Reefs; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D018629:Spectrometry, Mass, Secondary Ion; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D064751:Ammonium Compounds; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen