The evolutionary history of Symbiodinium and scleractinian hosts-Symbiosis, diversity, and the effect of climate change [An article from: Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics]

This digital document is a journal article from Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Marine invertebrates representing at least five phyla are symbiotic with dinoflagellates from the genus Symbiodinium. This group of single-celled protists was once considered to be a single pandemic species, Symbiodinium microadriaticum. Molecular investigations over the past 25 years have revealed, however, that Symbiodinium is a diverse group of organisms with at least eight (A-H) divergent clades that in turn contain multiple molecular subclade types. The diversity within this genus may subsequently determine the response of corals to normal and stressful conditions, leading to the proposal that the symbiosis may impart unusually rapid adaptation to environmental change by the metazoan host. These questions have added importance due to the critical challenges that corals and the reefs they build face as a consequence of current rapid climate change. This review outlines our current understanding of the diverse genus Symbiodinium and explores the ability of this genus and its symbioses to adapt to rapid environmental change.