![]() ![]() To understand mass-bleaching events more insight is necessary into the physiological and molecular interactions involved in breakdown of symbiotic associations there is a need to understand how the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis is initiated, integrated and maintained. In recent years there has been an increase in the frequency and severity of global episodes of coral bleaching (coral whitening due to mass expulsion of symbiotic algae and/or loss of photosynthetic pigments from individual zooxanthellae) resulting in degradation and mortality of coral reefs. corals, sea anemones, zoanthids and gorgonians) and dinoflagellate symbiont (commonly referred to as zooxanthellae) of the genus Symbiodinium are responsible for the formation of coral reefs which, in turn, maintain a rich biodiversity in shallow tropical waters and thus are vital in sustaining the coastal communities in these regions. The symbioses between anthozoan cnidarians (i.e. The resultant implications for the recovery of corals from bleaching events will also be discussed. The photo-physiological patterns observed will be described and compared amongst the various host-symbiont associations. These various fluxes were then used to infer the potential contribution of different strains of zooxanthellae to the host's daily respiratory carbon requirements (CZAR) during symbiosis re-establishment. The translocation rate of photosynthetically-fixed carbon from the symbionts to the host was estimated. Over the course of twelve weeks, maximum photosynthetic and dark respiratory oxygen fluxes were measured using a micro-respirometer. Symbiont-free anemones of the genus Aiptasia were used as model organisms for corals and reinfected with different Symbiodinium strains. This study aims to measure the influence of Symbiodinium type on the autotrophic potential of the symbiosis, as a means of assessing the physiological implications of establishing novel host-symbiont combinations after a bleaching event. These events are not well understood and more insight is necessary into the physiological and molecular interactions involved in the breakdown and potential recovery of the symbiotic association. In recent years there has been an increase in mass bleaching events. Coral reefs are formed as a result of symbioses between anthozoan cnidarians and dinoflagellate symbionts of the genus Symbiodinium. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |