Thermally tolerant symbionts may explain Caribbean octocoral resilience to heat stress release_4mt5khpvnzblxhd4cukstcwc7i

Abstract

Coral reef ecosystems are under threat from the frequent and severe impacts of anthropogenic climate change, particularly rising sea surface temperatures. The effects of thermal stress may be ameliorated by adaptation and/or acclimation of the host, symbiont, or holobiont (host + symbiont) to increased temperatures. We examined the role of the symbiont in promoting thermal tolerance of the holobiont, using Antillogorgia bipinnata (octocoral host) and Breviolum antillogorgium (symbiont) as a model system. We identified five distinct genotypes of B. antillogorgium from symbiont populations isolated from A. bipinnata colonies. Three symbiont genotypes were maintained at 26°C (ambient historical temperature) and two were maintained at 30°C (elevated historical temperature) for two years. We analyzed the in vitro growth rate and carrying capacity of each genotype at both ambient and elevated temperatures. All genotypes grew well at both temperature treatments, indicating thermal tolerance among these B. antillogorgium genotypes. We also inoculated juvenile A. bipinnata polyps with each of the five symbiont genotypes, and reared these polyps at both ambient and elevated temperatures. All genotypes were able to infect polyps at both temperature treatments. Survivorship of polyps at 30°C was significantly lower than survivorship at 26°C, but all treatments had surviving polyps at 56 days post-infection, suggestive of broad-scale thermal tolerance in this system. The widespread thermal tolerance observed in B. antillogorgium may play a part in the increased resilience of Caribbean octocorals during heat stress events.
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