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Species-specific interactions between algal endosymbionts and coral hosts define their bleaching response to heat and light stress - PubMed Skip to main page content
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. 2008 Oct 7;275(1648):2273-82.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0180.

Species-specific interactions between algal endosymbionts and coral hosts define their bleaching response to heat and light stress

David Abrego  1 , Karin E Ulstrup, Bette L Willis, Madeleine J H van Oppen
Affiliations

Species-specific interactions between algal endosymbionts and coral hosts define their bleaching response to heat and light stress

David Abrego et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

The impacts of warming seas on the frequency and severity of bleaching events are well documented, but the potential for different Symbiodinium types to enhance the physiological tolerance of reef corals is not well understood. Here we compare the functionality and physiological properties of juvenile corals when experimentally infected with one of two homologous Symbiodinium types and exposed to combined heat and light stress. A suite of physiological indicators including chlorophyll a fluorescence, oxygen production and respiration, as well as pigment concentration consistently demonstrated lower metabolic costs and enhanced physiological tolerance of Acropora tenuis juveniles when hosting Symbiodinium type C1 compared with type D. In other studies, the same D-type has been shown to confer higher thermal tolerance than both C2 in adults and C1 in juveniles of the closely related species Acropora millepora. Our results challenge speculations that associations with type D are universally most robust to thermal stress. Although the heat tolerance of corals may be contingent on the Symbiodinium strain in hospite, our results highlight the complexity of interactions between symbiotic partners and a potential role for host factors in determining the physiological performance of reef corals.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) of corals hosting either Symbiodinium C1 (filled circles) or D (open circles) at (a) 28 and (b) 32°C. Values are means±s.e. for each Symbiodinium type (n=24). * and # notations refer to significant differences over time within C1- and D-corals, respectively. + denotes a difference between C1- and D-corals. Comparisons are by Mann–Whitney U-test.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Maximum excitation pressure over PSII (Qm) of C1- (filled circles) or D-corals (open circles) at (a(i),b(i)) 26°C, (a(ii),b(ii)) 29°C and (a(iii),b(iii)) 32°C. (b) Maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) of the same corals. Values are means±s.e. for each Symbiodinium type (n=7–13). * and # notations refer to significant differences over time within C1- and D-corals, respectively. + denotes a difference between C1- and D-corals. Comparisons are by Mann–Whitney U-test.
Figure 3
Figure 3
O2 microelectrode measurement of photosynthesis in C1- (black columns) or D-corals (grey columns). (a) Gross photosynthesis rate, Pg (nmol O2 cm−3 coral surface s−1), (b) net photosynthesis rate versus dark respiration rate (Pn : RD) and (c) compensation irradiance, Ec, at (i) 26°C, (ii) 29°C and (iii) 32°C. Values are means±s.e. (n=4 for each Symbiodinium type). * and # notations refer to significant differences over time within C1- and D-corals, respectively. + denotes a difference between C1- and D-corals. Comparisons are by Mann–Whitney U-test.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Chl a content in sub-samples of C1- (black bars) or D-corals (grey bars). (b) Specific absorption coefficient of Chl a (aChla*) in the same samples as in (a). (i) 26°C, (ii) 29°C and (iii) 32°C. Values are means±s.e. (n=3 for each Symbiodinium type). Where error bars are not visible, they are small and hidden by the columns. * and # notations refer to significant differences over time within C1- and D-corals, respectively. + denotes a difference between C1- and D-corals. Comparisons are by Mann–Whitney U-test.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Changes in xanthophyll ratio (ratio of diatoxanthin to the sum of diatoxanthin and diadinoxanthin) of C1- (black bars) or D-corals (grey bars). (a) 26°C, (b) 29°C, (c) 32°C. Values are means±s.e. (n=3 for each Symbiodinium type). Where error bars are not visible, they are small and hidden by the columns. * and # notations refer to significant differences over time within C1- and D-corals, respectively. + denotes a difference between C1- and D-corals. Comparisons are by Mann–Whitney U-test.
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