Genetic evidence for a protozoan (phylum Apicomplexa) associated with corals of the Montastraea annularis species complex

• Published in: Coral reefs Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 143 - 146
• Main Authors: TALLER, W. W, ROWAN, R, KNOWLTON, N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01-07-2002; Berlin
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Apicomplexa; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Marine; Montastraea annularis; Population genetics, reproduction patterns; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Vertebrata; Protozoa; Animal microorganism relation; Apicomplexa; Symbionte; Nucleotide sequence; Algae; Phylogenetic tree; Interspecific association; Ribosomal DNA; Parasite; Species complex; Marine environment; Coelenterata; Dinophyta; Restriction fragment length polymorphism; Montastrea annularis; Coral; Cnidaria; Genetic identification; Invertebrata; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0722-4028; 1432-0975
• DOI: 10.1007/s00338-002-0220-2

Scleractinian corals associate with diverse microbial communities. Some eukaryotic microbes are common, well-known associates of corals; notably dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium, endolithic algae, and fungi. Other eukaryotic associates have not received detailed study. Descriptions of these normal associations are a necessary first step towards identifying abnormal microbial associations (i.e., pathogens) which lead to coral disease. Methods for molecular genetic analysis have revolutionized the study of marine microbes and have proven useful in the study of coral microbial communities. Here the authors give a brief account of a coral-associated eukaryote which was identified by molecular methods during a bleaching experiment with the Caribbean coral Montastraea annularis. This symbiont, provisionally named genotype N, was identified during routine screening of Symbiodinium samples by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of small subunit ribosomal RNA genes (srDNA). The data indicate that genotype N represents a coccidian protozoan (phylum Apicomplexa) which commonly associates with corals of the Montastraea annularis species complex.