ITS2 profiles of different cladobranch species
Cladobranchia, a group of marine slugs, have evolved unique adaptations to incorporate both cnidocysts and algal symbionts from their cnidarian prey. While photosymbiosis is well-documented in cnidarians, little is known about the diversity of Symbiodiniaceae in Cladobranchia and its role in enabling stable symbiosis. Our study aimed to address this gap by analyzing Symbiodiniaceae diversity across multiple Cladobranchia species using high-throughput metabarcoding of the Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 region and the SymPortal framework.