Abstract
A shift in the dominant Symbiodinium species within a coral colony may allow rapid ac - climatization to environmental stress, provided that the new symbiont is better suited to prevailing conditions. In this study, the Symbiodinium diversity in Pocillopora corals was examined following a cold-water bleaching event in the Gulf of California. Individual colonies were differentially im - pacted by this event based upon their association with either the Symbiodinium ITS-2 type C1b-c (sensitive) or ITS-2 type D1 (tolerant). Real-time PCR indicated a high prevalence of an alternate and compatible Symbiodinium sp. (i.e. C1b-c or D1) residing at low-abundance background levels within many colonies both during and after a 1 yr recovery interval (46 to 52%). However, despite the potential for 'switching,' the dominant resident symbiont remained at high abundance during the recovery, with only 2 of 67 colonies (3%) under - going a change to the other Symbiodinium type. Pocillopora residing in the Gulf of California therefore maintain long-term associations dominated by a specific Symbiodinium sp., where potential competition by a second symbiont type is suppressed despite the temporary change in environmental conditions that would favor a shift in symbiosis toward a more stress-tolerant species.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-7 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Marine Ecology Progress Series |
Volume | 462 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 21 2012 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Aquatic Science
- Ecology