Abstract
Acroporid white syndrome, a disease-like syndrome from the Great Barrier Reef, results from degenerative host tissue at lesion borders. Tissue preceding lesion borders appears visually healthy, but it is currently unclear whether the endosymbiotic zooxanthellae (Symbiodinium) are physiologically impacted. Compared to healthy colonies, this study found no significant differences in symbiont density, mitotic index or chlorophyll a content in tissue bordering (0 cm), and 8 cm away from white syndrome lesions. Using chlorophyll a fluorescence techniques, the border tissue did not appear to be photosynthetically compromised, and Symbiodinium extracted from this area were photosynthetically competent. Transmission electron microscopy revealed extensive degeneration of host tissues surrounding symbionts in affected areas, however, Symbiodinium cells were structurally intact with no sign of in situ degradation. Collectively, these results suggest that Symbiodinium at white syndrome lesion borders exist in a dynamic intra-cellular state during active host tissue loss, yet remain physiologically uncompromised.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Ainsworth TD, Kvennefors EC, Blackall LL, Fine M, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2006) Disease and cell death in white syndrome of Acroporid corals on the Great Barrier Reef. Mar Biol 151:19–29
Bhagooli R, Hidaka M (2003) Comparison of stress susceptibility of in hospite and isolated zooxanthellae among five coral species. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 291:181–197
Brown BE (1997) Coral bleaching: causes and consequences. Coral Reefs 16:S129–S138
Cervino JM, Hayes R, Goreau TJ, Smith GW (2004) Zooxanthellae regulation in yellow blotch/band and other coral diseases contrasted with temperature related bleaching: in situ vs expulsion. Symbiosis 37:63–85
Dunn SR, Bythell JC, Le Tissier MDA, Burnett WJ, Thomason JC (2002) Programmed cell death and cell necrosis activity during hyper thermic stress-induced bleaching of the symbiotic sea anemone Aiptasia sp. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 272:29–53
Fine M, Roff G, Ainsworth TD, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2006) Phototrophic microendoliths bloom during coral “white syndrome”. Coral Reefs 25:577–581
Fitt WK, Brown BE, Warner ME, Dunne RP (2001) Coral bleaching: interpretations of thermal tolerance limits and thermal thresholds in tropical corals. Coral Reefs 20:51–65
Franklin DJ, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Jones RJ, Berges JA (2004) Cell death and degeneration in the symbiotic dinoflagellates of the coral Stylophora pistillata during bleaching. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 272:117–130
Hill R, Schreiber U, Gademann R, Larkum AWD, Kühl M, Ralph PJ (2004) Spatial heterogeneity of photosynthesis and the effect of temperature-induced bleaching conditions in three species of corals. Mar Biol 144:633–640
Hoegh-Guldberg O, Smith GJ (1989) The effect of sudden changes in temperature, light and salinity on the population density and export of zooxanthellae from the reef building corals Stylophora pistillata Esper and Seriatopora hysterix Dana. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 129:279–303
Jeffrey SW, Humphrey GF (1975) New spectrophotometry equations for determining Chl a, b, c1, c2 in higher plants, algae and natural phytoplankton. Biochemie und Physiologie der Pflanzen (BPP) 167:191–194
Jones RJ (1997) Zooxanthellae loss as a bioassay for assessing stress in corals. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 149:163–171
Knowlton N, Rohwer F (2003) Microbial mutualisms on coral reefs: the host as a habitat. Am Nat 162:S51–S62
Mayali X, Azam F (2004) Algicidal bacteria in the sea and their impact on algal blooms. J Eukaryot Microbiol 51:139–144
Richardson LL (1998) Coral diseases: what is really known? Trends Ecol Evol 13:438–443
Roff G, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Fine M (2006) Intra-colonial response to Acroporid “white syndrome” lesions in tabular Acropora spp. (Scleractinia). Coral Reefs 25:255–264
Rohwer F, Breitbart M, Jara J, Azam F, Knowlton N (2002) Diversity of bacteria associated with the Caribbean coral Montastraea franksi. Coral Reefs 20:85–91
Ben-Haim Y, Rosenberg E (2002) A novel Vibrio sp. pathogen of the coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mar Biol 141:47–55
Stimson J, Kinzie R (1991) The diel pattern of release of zooxanthellae by colonies of Pocillopora damicornis maintained under control and nitrogen-enriched conditions. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 153:63–74
Sutherland KP, Porter JW, Torres C (2004) Disease and immunity in Caribbean and Indo-Pacific zooxanthellate corals. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 266:273–302
Wilson WH, Francis I, Ryan K, Davy SK (2001) Temperature induction of viruses in symbiotic dinoflagellates. Aquat Microb Ecol 25:99–102
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge P. Ralph for use of the Microscopy-PAM and the advice of two anonymous reviewers for greatly improving the manuscript. The project was supported by funding from the ARC Centre for Excellence for Reef and the Coral Reef Targeted Research Project to OHG.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by Biology Editor M.P. Lesser.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Roff, G., Kvennefors, E.C.E., Ulstrup, K.E. et al. Coral disease physiology: the impact of Acroporid white syndrome on Symbiodinium . Coral Reefs 27, 373–377 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-007-0339-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-007-0339-2