Exploring the Symbiodinium rare biosphere provides evidence for symbiont switching in reef-building corals.
Reef-building corals possess a range of acclimatisation and adaptation mechanisms to respond to seawater temperature increases. In some corals, thermal tolerance increases through community composition changes of their dinoflagellate endosymbionts (Symbiodinium spp.), but this mechanism is believed to be limited to the Symbiodinium types already present in the coral tissue acquired during early life stages. Compelling evidence for symbiont switching, that is, the acquisition of novel Symbiodinium types from the environment, by adult coral colonies, is currently lacking. Using deep sequencing analysis of Symbiodinium rDNA internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) PCR amplicons from two pocilloporid coral species, we show evidence consistent with de novo acquisition of Symbiodinium types from the environment by adult corals following two consecutive bleaching events. Most of these newly detected symbionts remained in the rare biosphere (background types occurring below 1% relative abundance), but one novel type reached a relative abundance of ~33%. Two de novo acquired Symbiodinium types belong to the thermally resistant clade D, suggesting that this switching may have been driven by consecutive thermal bleaching events. Our results are particularly important given the maternal mode of Symbiodinium transmission in the study species, which generally results in high symbiont specificity. These findings will cause a paradigm shift in our understanding of coral-Symbiodinium symbiosis flexibility and mechanisms of environmental acclimatisation in corals.
National Marine Science Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.|Marine Ecology Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
Nadine M
NM
Boulotte
National Marine Science Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.|Marine Ecology Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
Steven J
SJ
Dalton
Marine Ecology Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
Andrew G
AG
Carroll
Marine Ecology Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
Peter L
PL
Harrison
Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i, Kaneohe, HI, USA.
Hollie M
HM
Putnam
Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville MC, Queensland, Australia.
Lesa M
LM
Peplow
Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville MC, Queensland, Australia.|School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Madeleine Jh
MJ
van Oppen
D000064:Acclimatization; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D057894:Coral Reefs; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012623:Seawater / Q000469:parasitology*; D013559:Symbiosis