Neighboring colonies influence uptake of thermotolerant endosymbionts in threatened Caribbean coral recruits

Williamson, Olivia M.; Allen, Corinne E.; Williams, Dana E.; Johnson, Matthew W.; Miller, Margaret W.; Baker, Andrew C.

doi:10.1101/2020.11.02.360941

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 86 publications

(104 reference statements)

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“…Our results suggest that the adult hosts at the site might not be the major source of symbionts, which is similar to other studies where the predominant symbionts in surrounding corals and other cnidarian hosts often differed from those found in nearby recruits (Abrego et al, 2009b; Ali et al, 2019; Andras et al, 2011; Chan et al, 2019; Gómez‐Cabrera et al, 2008; Little et al, 2004; Mellas et al, 2014; Poland et al, 2013; Thornhill, Daniel, et al, 2006; Thornhill, LaJeunesse, et al, 2006; Yamashita et al, 2013). Even in lab settings, where coral colonies are seemingly the only source of symbionts, recruits can harbor symbiont types that differ from the adult source colony (Ali et al, 2019; Williamson et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Symbiodiniaceae are released into the reef environment by adult corals (Koike et al, 2007; Muscatine & Pool, 1979; Stimson & Kinzie, 1991) and have been recovered from the water column, macroalgae, and sediments (e.g., Adams et al, 2009; Coffroth et al, 2006; Littman et al, 2008; Manning & Gates, 2008; Porto et al, 2008; Takabayashi et al, 2012). Numerous studies have demonstrated that newly settled recruits do acquire symbionts from the water column, sediments and, in lab settings, from nearby coral colonies (Ali et al, 2019; Coffroth et al, 2006; Cumbo et al, 2013; Nitschke et al, 2015; Quigley et al, 2019; Sweet, 2014; Williamson et al, 2021). Since outplant‐site adults and recruits are on the same reef and thus in similar environments, we might predict that the symbionts within these two life stages would be similar.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genetic structure of dinoflagellate symbionts in coral recruits differs from that of parental or local adults

Coffroth

Leigh

McIlroy

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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The symbiotic relationship between dinoflagellate algae in the family Symbiodiniaceae and scleractinian corals forms the base of the tropical reef ecosystem. In scleractinian corals, recruits acquire symbionts either “vertically” from the maternal colony or initially lack symbionts and acquire them “horizontally” from the environment. Regardless of the mode of acquisition, coral species and individual colonies harbor only a subset of the highly diverse complex of species/taxa within the Symbiodiniaceae. This suggests a genetic basis for specificity, but local environmental conditions and/or symbiont availability may also play a role in determining which symbionts within the Symbiodiniaceae are initially taken up by the host. To address the relative importance of genetic and environmental drivers of symbiont uptake/establishment, we examined the acquisition of these dinoflagellate symbionts in one to three‐month‐old recruits of Orbicella faveolata to compare symbiont types present in recruits to those of parental populations versus co‐occurring adults in their destination reef. Variation in chloroplast 23S ribosomal DNA and in three polymorphic microsatellite loci was examined. We found that, in general, symbiont communities within adult colonies differed between reefs, suggesting that endemism is common among symbiont populations of O. faveolata on a local scale. Among recruits, initial symbiont acquisition was selective. O. faveolata recruits only acquired a subset of locally available symbionts, and these generally did not reflect symbiont populations in adults at either the parental or the outplant reef. Instead, symbiont communities within new recruits at a given outplant site and region tended to be similar to each other, regardless of parental source population. These results suggest temporal variation in the local symbiont source pool, although other possible drivers behind the distinct difference between symbionts within O. faveolata adults and new generations of recruits may include different ontogenetic requirements and/or reduced host selectivity in early ontogeny.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic structure of dinoflagellate symbionts in coral recruits differs from that of parental or local adults

Coffroth

Leigh

McIlroy

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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“…If a specific taxon (i.e. Breviolum) is implicated in SCTLD infection, managers may choose to provide recruits with sources of alternative taxa during initial symbiosis establishment (Williamson et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…labyrinthiformis recruits to serve as symbiont sources (Williamson et al, 2021) trenchii, and one hosted Breviolum only.…”

Section: Recruit Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of species, size, and chimerism on the susceptibility of Caribbean brain coral recruits to stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD)

Williamson

Dennison

O’Neil

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has devastated coral populations along Florida’s Coral Reef and beyond. Although widespread infection and mortality of adult colonies have been documented, no studies have yet investigated the susceptibility of recruits to this disease. Here, we exposed eight-month-old Diploria labyrinthiformis recruits and four-month-old Colpophyllia natans recruits to two sequential doses of SCTLD in the laboratory to track infection and assess potential resilience. Both species began to develop lesions as early as 48 h after exposure began. During the first dose, 59.0% of C. natans recruits lost all tissue (died) within two to eight days of developing lesions, whereas D. labyrinthiformis recruits experienced significantly slower rates of tissue loss and minimal eventual mortality. In C. natans, larger recruits and those fused into groups of multiple genets (chimeras) exhibited the highest survivorship. In contrast, smaller and/or single (ungrouped) recruits had the lowest survivorship (9.9 - 26.5%). After 20 days, a second SCTLD dose was delivered to further test resistance in remaining recruits, and all recruits of both species succumbed within 6 days. Although no recruits showed absolute resistance to SCTLD following repeated exposures, our results provide evidence that interactions between species, size, and chimerism can impact relative resistance. This study represents the first report of SCTLD in Caribbean coral recruits and carries implications for natural species recovery and reef restoration efforts. Additional research on the susceptibility of coral juveniles to SCTLD is urgently needed, to include different species, locations, parents, and algal symbionts, with the goal of assessing relative susceptibility and identifying potential sources of resilience for this critical life history stage.

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Neighboring colonies influence uptake of thermotolerant endosymbionts in threatened Caribbean coral recruits

Cited by 2 publications

References 86 publications

Genetic structure of dinoflagellate symbionts in coral recruits differs from that of parental or local adults

Genetic structure of dinoflagellate symbionts in coral recruits differs from that of parental or local adults

Effect of species, size, and chimerism on the susceptibility of Caribbean brain coral recruits to stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD)

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