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Citation for Study 20211

About Citation title: "Vertically transmitted Symbiodinium are more thermotolerant and specific to scleractinian hosts".
About Study name: "Vertically transmitted Symbiodinium are more thermotolerant and specific to scleractinian hosts".
About This study is part of submission 20211 (Status: Published).

Citation

Swain T.D., Westneat M.W., Backman V., & Marcelino L.A. 2016. Vertically transmitted Symbiodinium are more thermotolerant and specific to scleractinian hosts. Journal of Phycology, .

Authors

  • Swain T.D. (submitter) Phone 8504439997
  • Westneat M.W. Phone 312-665-7734
  • Backman V.
  • Marcelino L.A.

Abstract

Vertical transmission of symbionts between generations of hosts is thought to strengthen mutualisms by linking the fitness of associated species, but prohibits recombination with physiologically novel symbionts that may be better suited to a changing environment. This trade-off between transmission modes may be undermined by mixed-modes transmission, even if one mode is rare. Horizontal transmission is common among coral-Symbiodinium symbioses, however mixed-modes transmission appears to be more likely among predominantly vertical transmitting corals, allowing the maintenance of highly specialized associations across generations as well as transiently critical relationships. To assess if mixed-modes transmission has the potential to rescue or reinforce resistance to thermally-induced bleaching, we examined the thermotolerance and specificity of vertically transmitted symbionts. We constructed a novel molecular phylogeny for 95 phylotypes of Symbiodinium representing clades A?F to determine homoplasy among and relationships between traits. Thermotolerance and specificity cannot be predicted by evolutionary relatedness and were independently derived multiple times, while vertical transmission is more concentrated among phylotypes representing clades C and F. The probability of vertical transmission increased by more than 200% across the ranges of observed thermotolerance and specificity, however specificity does not predict thermotolerance. Higher thermotolerance and specificity of vertically transmitted Symbiodinium may indicate robust bleaching resistance among vertically transmitting corals that could be reinforced by the potential benefits of mixed-modes transmission.

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  • Canonical resource URI: http://purl.org/phylo/treebase/phylows/study/TB2:S20211
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