Optimal nutrient exchange and immune responses operate in partner specificity in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.

ABSTRACT: The relationship between corals and dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium is fundamental to the functioning of coral ecosystems. It has been suggested that reef corals may adapt to climate change by changing their dominant symbiont type to a more thermally tolerant one, although the capacity for such a shift is potentially hindered by the compatibility of different host-symbiont pairings. Here we combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to characterize the molecular, cellular, and physiological processes that underlie this compatibility, with a particular focus on Symbiodinium trenchii, an opportunistic, thermally tolerant symbiont that flourishes in coral tissues after bleaching events. Symbiont-free individuals of the sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida (commo

SUBMITTER: Matthews JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5740609 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature