AI Article Synopsis
- Corals of the genus Mussismilia are ancient reef builders found exclusively along the Brazilian coast and play a crucial role in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean ecosystem.
- Recent threats such as diseases and environmental stressors are causing rapid declines in the relatively low-diversity reef systems, although they haven't been heavily impacted by coral bleaching.
- This study establishes the first collection of Symbiodinium (a type of algae that lives in corals) found in Mussismilia corals, identifying key strains that could be critical for understanding coral resilience to ongoing environmental changes.
Article Abstract
Corals of genus Mussismilia (Mussidae) are one of the oldest extant clades of scleractinians. These Neogene relicts are endemic to the Brazilian coast and represent the main reef-building corals in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean (SAO). The relatively low-diversity/high-endemism SAO coralline systems are under rapid decline from emerging diseases and other local and global stressors, but have not been severely affected by coral bleaching. Despite the biogeographic significance and importance for understanding coral resilience, there is scant information about the diversity of Symbiodinium in this ocean basin. In this study, we established the first culture collections of Symbiodinium from Mussismilia hosts, comprising 11 isolates, four of them obtained by fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS). We also analyzed Symbiodinium diversity directly from Mussismilia tissue samples (N = 16) and characterized taxonomically the cultures and tissue samples by sequencing the dominant ITS2 region. Symbiodinium strains A4, B19, and C3 were detected. Symbiodinium C3 was predominant in the larger SAO reef system (Abrolhos), while Symbiodinium B19 was found only in deep samples from the oceanic Trindade Island. Symbiodinium strains A4 and C3 isolates were recovered from the same Mussismilia braziliensis coral colony. In face of increasing threats, these results indicate that Symbiodinium community dynamics shall have an important contribution for the resilience of Mussismilia spp. corals.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00248-015-0573-z | DOI Listing |
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