[Coral-List] recent publication on Symbiodiniaceae shifts in response to recurrent bleaching

[Lewis, Cynthia]

Greetings,
We would like to share our recent publication in Frontiers in Marine Science/Coral Reef Research (January 2019):
Recurring episodes of thermal stress shift the balance from a dominant host-specialist to a background host-generalist zooxanthella in the threatened pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00005/full

While our findings show greater diversity of the Symbiodineacae community in D. cylindrus than previously known, it also highlights the persistence and ecological relevance of some cryptic symbiont species, perhaps providing a mechanism for resistance to recurrent bleaching events. Unfortunately, in Florida's D. cylindrus population this has proven to be a case of 'too little too late' in the face of multiple years of thermal stress and Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease.
Regards,



Cynthia Lewis, PhD

Deputy Director

Scientific Researcher


Keys Marine Laboratory

www.keysmarinelab.org<http://www.keysmarinelab.org>

office: 305-664-9101

fax: 305-664-0850


68486 Overseas Highway US #1

mm68.5

PO Box 968

Long Key, FL 33001-0968