Vectored dispersal of <i><scp>S</scp>ymbiodinium</i> by larvae of a <scp>C</scp>aribbean gorgonian octocoral

Wirshing, Herman H.; Feldheim, Kevin A.; Baker, Andrew C.

doi:10.1111/mec.12405

Cited by 19 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 87 publications

(177 reference statements)

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“…Wirshing et al . () collected samples of Euniciea flexuosa from fourteen sites in the Caribbean. Sampling was primarily focused along the Florida reef track with nine of the fourteen sites in the Florida Keys (six sites, n = 42–82) and Biscayne Bay (three sites, n = 54–76).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The resulting allele calls were divided into three data sets which were deposited at Dryad (datadryad.org) by Wirshing et al . () under (doi:). The allele calls for Symbiodinium B1 were placed in two data files, a presence–absence matrix (totalmatrix_structure) and the unambiguous MLGs, samples with only one allele scored at each locus, (singlehaps_structure).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, ; Wirshing et al . ). When mixtures occur, the origin of mixed genotypes may be two or more resident individuals of the same species (Pettay et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…We then examined multilocus data from Symbiodinium occurring in the common gorgonian morphospecies, Euniciea flexuosa , from the northwestern tropical Atlantic published by Wirshing et al . (). In both cases, we find strong evidence that supports a two species interpretation of data that were originally analysed as coming from a single species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Symbiodinium population genetics: testing for species boundaries and analysing samples with mixed genotypes

Wham

LaJeunesse

2016

Molecular Ecology

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Population genetic markers are increasingly being used to study the diversity, ecology and evolution of Symbiodinium, a group of eukaryotic microbes that are often mutualistic with reef-building corals. Population genetic markers can resolve individual clones, or strains, from samples of host tissue; however, samples may comprise different species that may confound interpretations of gene flow and genetic structure. Here, we propose a method for resolving species from population genetic data using tests for genetic recombination. Assigning individuals to genetically recombining populations prior to further analyses avoids critical errors in the interpretation of gene flow and dispersal. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, we first apply this method to a simulated data set. We then use the method to resolve two species of host generalist Symbiodinium that commonly co-occur in reef-building corals collected from Indo-West Pacific reefs. We demonstrate that the method is robust even when some hosts contain genotypes from two distinct species. Finally, we examine population genetic data sets from two recently published papers in Molecular Ecology. We show that each strongly supports a two species interpretation, which significantly changes the original conclusions presented in these studies. When combined with available phylogenetic and ecological evidence, the use of population genetic data offers a robust method for unambiguously delimiting morphologically cryptic species.Keywords: dispersal, microsatellites, population genetics, species boundaries, Symbiodinium Received 10 July 2015; revision received 9 October 2015; accepted 10 November 2015 IntroductionPopulation genetic data are increasingly generated in ecological studies of the dinoflagellate genus, Symbiodinium, a diverse group of dinoflagellates often associated with reefbuilding corals and other Cnidaria (Andras et al. 2011;Pettay & LaJeunesse 2013;Baums et al. 2014;Thornhill et al. 2014). The analysis of these data generally requires alleles to be assigned to individuals and assumes that all samples analysed together are members of the same species. This allows the data to be organized into multilocus genotypes (MLGs). These MLGs can then be analysed under the assumptions of population genetic models. A number of factors must be considered, however, before meeting these basic criteria for analysis.The genus Symbiodinium is widely recognized as ecologically and genetically diverse; however, there are relatively few described species (Trench & Blank 1987;Hansen and Daugbjerg 2009, LaJeunesse et al. 2012;LaJeunesse et al. 2014), making initial species identification of samples problematic. Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) has often been used to provisionally resolve 'species' diversity (LaJeunesse 2001) because Symbiodinium with fixed differences in rDNA exhibit distinct ecological, biogeographical and physiological attributes (Rodriguez-Lanetty et al. 2004;Sampayo et al. 2007;Frade et al. 2008;LaJeunesse et al. 2010). However, sometimes rDNA can fail to...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, ; Wirshing et al . ). When mixtures occur, the origin of mixed genotypes may be two or more resident individuals of the same species (Pettay et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Symbiodinium population genetics: testing for species boundaries and analysing samples with mixed genotypes

Wham

LaJeunesse

2016

Molecular Ecology

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“…Dispersal may be a similarly rare but beneficial event. Mobile hosts such as flying insects or pelagically dispersed coral larvae (Wirshing et al, 2013) may transport symbionts to novel environments or hosts that better support symbiont growth. Dispersal would be of particular benefit in systems where local extinction is possible.…”

Section: Recommendations For Investigating Symbiont Fitnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

The symbiont side of symbiosis: do microbes really benefit?

Garcia

Gerardo

2014

Front. Microbiol.

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Microbial associations are integral to all eukaryotes. Mutualism, the interaction of two species for the benefit of both, is an important aspect of microbial associations, with evidence that multicellular organisms in particular benefit from microbes. However, the microbe’s perspective has largely been ignored, and it is unknown whether most microbial symbionts benefit from their associations with hosts. It has been presumed that microbial symbionts receive host-derived nutrients or a competition-free environment with reduced predation, but there have been few empirical tests, or even critical assessments, of these assumptions. We evaluate these hypotheses based on available evidence, which indicate reduced competition and predation are not universal benefits for symbionts. Some symbionts do receive nutrients from their host, but this has not always been linked to a corresponding increase in symbiont fitness. We recommend experiments to test symbiont fitness using current experimental systems of symbiosis and detail considerations for other systems. Incorporating symbiont fitness into symbiosis research will provide insight into the evolution of mutualistic interactions and cooperation in general.

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Fine‐Scale Geographic Variation of Cladocopium in Acropora hyacinthus Across the Palauan Archipelago

Armstrong,

Lippert,

Hanson

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Symbiont genotype plays a vital role in the ability of a coral host to tolerate rising ocean temperatures, with some members of the family Symbiodiniaceae possessing more thermal tolerance than others. While existing studies on genetic structure in symbiont populations have focused on broader scales of 10–100 s of km, there is a noticeable gap in understanding the seascape genetics of coral symbionts at finer—yet ecologically and evolutionarily relevant—scales. Here, we mapped short reads from 271 holobiont genome libraries of individual Acropora hyacinthus colonies to protein coding genes from the chloroplast genome to identify patterns of symbiont population genetic structure. Utilizing this low‐pass method, we assayed over 13,000 bases from every individual, enabling us to discern genetic variation at a finer geographic scale than previously reported at the population level. We identified five common Cladocopium chloroplast SNP profiles present across Palau, with symbiont structure varying between Northern, mid‐lagoon, and Southern regions, and inshore–offshore gradients. Although symbiont populations within reefs typically contained significant genetic diversity, we also observed genetic structure between some nearby reefs. To explore whether coral hosts retain their symbionts post‐transplantation, we experimentally moved 79 corals from their native reefs to transplant sites with both different and similar chloroplast SNP profiles. Over 12 months, we observed 12 instances where transplanted corals changed profiles, often transitioning to a profile present in adjacent corals. Symbiont genetic structure between reefs suggests either low dispersal of symbionts or environmental selection against dispersers, both resulting in the potential for significant adaptive differentiation across reef environments. The extent to which local corals and their symbionts are co‐adapted to environments on a reef‐by‐reef scale is currently poorly known. Chloroplast sequences offer an additional tool for monitoring symbiont genetics and coral–symbiont interactions when assisted migration is used in restoration.

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Vectored dispersal of Symbiodinium by larvae of a Caribbean gorgonian octocoral

Cited by 19 publications

References 87 publications

Symbiodinium population genetics: testing for species boundaries and analysing samples with mixed genotypes

Symbiodinium population genetics: testing for species boundaries and analysing samples with mixed genotypes

The symbiont side of symbiosis: do microbes really benefit?

Fine‐Scale Geographic Variation of Cladocopium in Acropora hyacinthus Across the Palauan Archipelago

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