Abstract
In this first sequence analysis of ‘zooxanthellae’ (symbiotic algae of the genus Symbiodinium) in scleractinian corals in Africa, seven Kenyan species sampled in 2001–2002 were analysed by RFLP and sequencing of a PCR-amplified fragment of the LSU rRNA gene. Zooxanthellae of phylotypes A, C and D, all described previously in corals from other regions of the world, were detected. All sequences of phylotype D were identical, while phylotype C was variable, with 14 distinct sequences, seven of which clustered in a previously unreported subgroup of phylotype C, among the 22 samples. These data on the diversity of zooxanthellae in Kenyan corals 3–4 years after the 1998 bleaching event are of potential value for longitudinal studies of temporal changes in zooxanthella diversity in Kenyan corals, especially in relation to future large-scale bleaching episodes.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Dr David Obura (CORDIO, East Africa) who provided logistical support for the fieldwork. This research was made possible by scholarships to SV from the R.E. Train Program of the WWF, the ORS scheme of UK Universities, and the University of York.
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Visram, S., Douglas, A.E. Molecular diversity of symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) in scleractinian corals of Kenya . Coral Reefs 25, 172–176 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-005-0079-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-005-0079-0