Analysis of a mechanistic model of corals in association with multiple symbionts: within-host competition and recovery from bleaching.

ABSTRACT: Coral reefs are increasingly experiencing stressful conditions, such as high temperatures, that cause corals to undergo bleaching, a process where they lose their photosynthetic algal symbionts. Bleaching threatens both corals' survival and the health of the reef ecosystems they create. One possible mechanism for corals to resist bleaching is through association with stress-tolerant symbionts, which are resistant to bleaching but may be worse partners in mild conditions. Some corals have been found to associate with multiple symbiont species simultaneously, which potentially gives them access to the benefits of both stress-sensitive and -tolerant symbionts. However, within-host competition between symbionts may lead to competitive exclusion of one partner, and the consequences of associati

SUBMITTER: Brown AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9558299 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature