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Presence of Symbiodinium spp. in macroalgal microhabitats from the southern Great Barrier Reef

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Abstract

Coral reefs are highly dependent on the mutualistic symbiosis between reef-building corals and dinoflagellates from the genus Symbiodinium. These dinoflagellates spend part of their life cycle outside the coral host and in the majority of the cases have to re-infect corals each generation. While considerable insight has been gained about Symbiodinium in corals, little is known about the ecology and biology of Symbiodinium in other reef microhabitats. This study documents Symbiodinium associating with benthic macroalgae on the southern Great Barrier Reef, including some Symbiodinium that are genetically close to the symbiotic strains from reef-building corals. It is possible that some of these Symbiodinium were in hospite, associated to soritid foraminifera or ciliates; nevertheless, the presence of Symbiodinium C3 and C15 in macroalgal microhabitats may also suggest a potential link between communities of Symbiodinium associating with both coral hosts and macroalgae.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to M. Gomez-Cabrera, E. Sampayo, N. Rosic and C. Reymond for their help during the laboratory work. Thanks to T. Ridgway and S. Dunn for methodological suggestions. Thanks to C. Arango for her valuable help in the phylogenetic analyses. Thanks to K. Dunn for helping at the Heron Island Research Station. This work was supported by an Australian Research Council grant to OHG, Great Barrier Reef Research Foundation (www.barrierreef.org) and the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (www.rrrc.org.au).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad del Magdalena, Carrera 32 # 22-08, Santa Marta, Colombia, South America

    D. E. Venera-Ponton

  2. Griffith School of Environment, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Brisbane, Nathan, Queensland, 4111, Australia

    G. Diaz-Pulido

  3. Integrative Marine Genomics and Symbiosis Laboratory, Department of Biology, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, PO Box 42451, Lafayette, LA, 70504, USA

    M. Rodriguez-Lanetty

  4. Centre for Marine Studies and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia

    O. Hoegh-Guldberg

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  1. D. E. Venera-Ponton
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  2. G. Diaz-Pulido
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  3. M. Rodriguez-Lanetty
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  4. O. Hoegh-Guldberg
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Correspondence to D. E. Venera-Ponton.

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Venera-Ponton, D.E., Diaz-Pulido, G., Rodriguez-Lanetty, M. et al. Presence of Symbiodinium spp. in macroalgal microhabitats from the southern Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 29, 1049–1060 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-010-0666-6

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