Colonization and metabolite profiles of homologous, heterologous and experimentally evolved algal symbionts in the sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana

Abstract

The sea anemone, Exaiptasia diaphana, is a model of coral-dinoflagellate (Symbiodiniaceae) symbiosis. However, little is known of its potential to form symbiosis with Cladocopium-a key Indo-Pacific algal symbiont of scleractinian corals, nor the host nutritional consequences of such an association. Aposymbiotic anemones were inoculated with homologous algal symbionts, Breviolum minutum, and seven heterologous strains of Cladocopium C1acro (wild-type and heat-evolved) under ambient conditions. Despite lower initial algal cell density, Cladocopium C1acro-anemeones achieved similar cell densities as B. minutum-anemones by week 77. Wild-type and heat-evolved Cladocopium C1acro showed similar col..