Abstract
In adult cnidarians, symbiotic dinoflagellate Symbiodinium are usually located in the gastrodermis. However, the onset of this endosymbiotic association and its regulation during larval development are unclear. This study examined the distribution of the Symbiodinium population in tissue layers of planula larvae released from the stony coral Euphyllia glabrescens. Symbiodinium were redistributed from the epidermis to the gastrodermis, at a rate that was fastest during early planulation and then decreased prior to metamorphosis. This process indicates that the endosymbiotic activity of coral tissues is developmentally regulated. During the early larval stage, both the epidermis and gastrodermis contained Symbiodinium; then, as the larvae developed toward metamorphosis, the numbers in the epidermis gradually diminished until they were only found in the gastrodermis. The mechanism of redistribution remains unknown, but may be due to a direct translocation and/or change in the proliferation of symbionts in different tissue layers.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by grants from the National Science Council (NSC 95-2311-B-291-003-MY2, NSC 93-2311-B-291-003 and NSC 94-2311-B-291-003) and by intramural funding from the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium. We thank Dr T.-H. Chen for the consultation on data analysis. Constructive comments on the manuscript from three anonymous reviewers and the editor are greatly appreciated.
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Huang, HJ., Wang, LH., Chen, WN.U. et al. Developmentally regulated localization of endosymbiotic dinoflagellates in different tissue layers of coral larvae. Coral Reefs 27, 365–372 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-007-0337-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-007-0337-4