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Calcification rates of a massive and a branching coral species were unrelated to diversity of endosymbiotic dinoflagellates

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Abstract

Background

To explore the possibility that endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodiniaceae) are associated with coral calcification rates, we investigated the diversity of symbiotic algae in coral colonies with different calcification rates within massive and branching corals (Porites australiensis and Acropora digitifera).

Methods and results

Genotyping symbiotic algae from colonies with different calcification rates revealed that all the colonies of both species harbored mainly Cladocopium (previously clade C of Symbiodinium). The Cladocopium symbionts in P. australiensis were mainly composed of C15 and C15bn, and those in A. digitifera of C50a and C50c. We did not detect clear relationships between symbiont compositions and calcification rates within the two coral species.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that different coral calcification rates within species may be attributed to genetic factors of coral hosts themselves and/or within symbiont genotypes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Masaru Mizuyama for his advice on analysis.

Funding

This study was supported by the Nissei Science Foundation (No. 02, FY2017), KAKENHI Grants-in-Aid (Grant Nos. 18H03366, 18K18793, 19K22938, 20H00653) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Research Laboratory on Environmentally-conscious Developments and Technologies (E-code) at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

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Author notes

  1. Kodai Gibu and Eri Ikeuchi have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan

    Kodai Gibu, Eri Ikeuchi, Atsushi Suzuki & Akira Iguchi

  2. Water and Environmental Research Institute, University of Guam, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU, 96923, USA

    Tomoko Bell

  3. Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0213, Japan

    Takashi Nakamura

  4. Department of Bioresources Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College, 905, Henoko, Nago, Okinawa, 905-2192, Japan

    Yuki Yoshioka

  5. Research Laboratory On Environmentally-Conscious Developments and Technologies [E-Code], National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8567, Japan

    Atsushi Suzuki & Akira Iguchi

Authors
  1. Kodai Gibu
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  2. Eri Ikeuchi
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  3. Tomoko Bell
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  4. Takashi Nakamura
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  6. Atsushi Suzuki
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  7. Akira Iguchi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akira Iguchi.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

Coral samples were collected under the permission from Okinawa Prefecture (No. 23–25).

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Gibu, K., Ikeuchi, E., Bell, T. et al. Calcification rates of a massive and a branching coral species were unrelated to diversity of endosymbiotic dinoflagellates. Mol Biol Rep 49, 9101–9106 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07702-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07702-9

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