Dataset Information

Diversity of Symbiodiniaceae in 15 Coral Species From the Southern South China Sea: Potential Relationship With Coral Thermal Adaptability.

ABSTRACT: It is well-known that the adaptability of coral-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis to thermal stress varies among coral species, but the cause and/or mechanism behind it are not well-understood. In this study, we aimed to explore this issue based on zooxanthellae density (ZD) and Symbiodiniaceae genus/subclade. Hemocytometry and next-generation sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2) marker gene were used to observe ZDs and Symbiodiniaceae genera/subclades associated with 15 typical coral species in the southern South China Sea (SCS). Average ZDs of all corals were in low levels, ranging from 0.84 to 1.22 × 106 cells cm-2, with a total of five Symbiodiniaceae genera, Symbiodinium, Cladocopium, Durusdinium, Fugacium, and Gerakladium, as well as 24 dominant subclades, were detected and varied among these coral species. Pocillopora verrucosa was dominated by Durusdinium (subclade D1/D1a), and other colonial corals were dominated by Cladocopium, but the subclades were varied among these species. Porites lutea and Montipora efflorescens were dominated by C15, and Echinopora lamellosa, Hydnophora exesa, and Coscinaraea exesa were dominated by C40. Acropora corymbosa, Merulina ampliata, and five species of Faviidae were mainly associated with Cladocopium types of C3u and Cspc. In contrast to other colonial corals, the dominant subclade of solitary Fungia fungites was C27, with high host specificity. Our study indicates that coral thermal stress adaptability is mainly affected by dominant Symbiodiniaceae type instead of ZD in the southern SCS. Some heat-sensitive corals, such as P. verrucosa corals, have acquired a high abundance of heat-tolerant Durusdinium to adapt to thermal stress. This could be the main reason for these corals becoming the dominant corals in this reef region. Background subclades analyses showed significant differences among coral species in subclade quantity and diversity. These suggest that numbers of coral species may have adapted to high environmental temperature by adopting various symbionts and/or associating with heat-tolerant Symbiodiniaceae.

SUBMITTER: Qin Z

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6813740 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Diversity of Symbiodiniaceae in 15 Coral Species From the Southern South China Sea: Potential Relationship With Coral Thermal Adaptability.

Qin Zhenjun Z Yu Kefu K Chen Biao B Wang Yinghui Y Liang Jiayuan J Luo Wenwen W Xu Lijia L Huang Xueyong X

Frontiers in microbiology 20191018

It is well-known that the adaptability of coral-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis to thermal stress varies among coral species, but the cause and/or mechanism behind it are not well-understood. In this study, we aimed to explore this issue based on zooxanthellae density (ZD) and Symbiodiniaceae genus/subclade. Hemocytometry and next-generation sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2) marker gene were used to observe ZDs and Symbiodiniaceae genera/subclades associated with 15 typical ...[more]

PMID: 31681208

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Project description:Coral reefs are continuing to decline worldwide due to anthropogenic climate change. The study of the molecular diversity and biogeographical patterns of Symbiodiniaceae, is essential to understand the adaptive potential and resilience of coral-algal symbiosis. Next generation sequencing was used to analyze the Symbiodiniaceae rDNA internal transcribed spacer 2 marker genes from 178 reef-building coral samples in eight coral habitats across approximately 13° of latitude in the South China Sea (SCS). A total of three Symbiodiniaceae genera, Cladocopium, Durusdinium, and Gerakladium, as well as 31 dominant Symbiodiniaceae types, were identified. Symbiodiniaceae richness, diversity, and community composition varied according to latitude; intermediate and low latitude coral reefs (IR and LR) have higher Symbiodiniaceae richness and diversity than high latitude coral habitats (HC and HR). A PERMANOVA analysis found significant differences in the Symbiodiniaceae community composition in the SCS (F = 14.75, R 2 = 0.20, p = 0.001 < 0.01). The major dominant Symbiodiniaceae types were C1 in the HC and the HR, C1/Cspc/C50/C15 and D1 in the IR, and C3u and C15 in the LR. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that the relative abundance of different Symbiodiniaceae types is affected by multiple environmental factors. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Symbiodiniaceae type Cladocopium, which shared common ancestors, shows similar environmental adaptability. Based on these results, we suggest that coral host species played a relatively small role in the identity of the dominant Symbiodiniaceae type. Therefore, the biogeographical patterns of Symbiodiniaceae may be mainly affected by environmental factors. Our research provides a comprehensive overview of the biogeography of Symbiodiniaceae in the SCS, where coral communities and reefs are widely distributed across different latitude regions and have variable environmental conditions. Our data will provide support for further study of the regional diversification of Symbiodiniaceae and the ecological resilience of the coral-Symbiodiniaceae symbioses.

Project description:BackgroundDinoflagellates of family Symbiodiniaceae are important to coral reef ecosystems because of their contribution to coral health and growth; however, only a few studies have investigated the function and distribution of Symbiodiniaceae in Indonesia. Understanding the distribution of different kinds of Symbiodiniaceae can improve forecasting of future responses of various coral reef systems to climate change. This study aimed to determine the diversity of Symbiodiniaceae around Lombok using environmental DNA (eDNA).MethodsSeawater and sediment samples were collected from 18 locations and filtered to obtain fractions of 0.4-12 and >12 µm. After extraction, molecular barcoding polymerase chain reaction was conducted to amplify the primary V9-SSU 18S rRNA gene, followed by sequencing (Illumina MiSeq). BLAST, Naïve-fit-Bayes, and maximum likelihood routines were used for classification and phylogenetic reconstruction. We compared results across sampling sites, sample types (seawater/sediment), and filter pore sizes (fraction).ResultsPhylogenetic analyses resolved the amplicon sequence variants into 16 subclades comprising six Symbiodiniaceae genera (or genera-equivalent clades) as follows: Symbiodinium, Breviolum, Cladocopium, Durusdinium, Foraminifera Clade G, and Halluxium. Comparative analyses showed that the three distinct lineages within Cladocopium, Durusdinium, and Foraminifera Clade G were the most common. Most of the recovered sequences appeared to be distinctive of different sampling locations, supporting the possibility that eDNA may resolve regional and local differences among Symbiodiniaceae genera and species.ConclusionseDNA surveys offer a rapid proxy for evaluating Symbiodiniaceae species on coral reefs and are a potentially useful approach to revealing diversity and relative ecological dominance of certain Symbiodiniaceae organisms. Moreover, Symbiodiniaceae eDNA analysis shows potential in monitoring the local and regional stability of coral-algal mutualisms.

Dataset Information

Diversity of Symbiodiniaceae in 15 Coral Species From the Southern South China Sea: Potential Relationship With Coral Thermal Adaptability.

Publications

Diversity of Symbiodiniaceae in 15 Coral Species From the Southern South China Sea: Potential Relationship With Coral Thermal Adaptability.

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