Work

A Phylogeny-Informed Analysis of the Global Coral-Symbiodiniaceae Interaction Network Reveals that Traits Correlated with Thermal Bleaching Are Specific to Symbiont Transmission Mode

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Recent advances have revealed a complex network of interactions between coral and Symbiodiniaceae. Specifically, nonrandom association patterns, which are determined in part by restrictions imposed by symbiont transmission mode, increase the sensitivity of the overall network to thermal stress. However, little is known about the extent to which coral-Symbiodiniaceae network resistance to thermal stress is shaped by host and symbiont species phylogenetic relationships and host and symbiont species traits, such as symbiont transmission mode. We built a frequency-weighted global coral-Symbiodiniaceae network and used network analysis and phylogenetic comparative methods to show that evolutionary relatedness, but not transmission mode, predicts thermal resilience of the coral-Symbiodiniaceae holobiont. Consequently, thermal stress events could result in nonrandom pruning of susceptible lineages and loss of taxonomic diversity with catastrophic effects on community resilience to future events. Our results show that inclusion of the contribution of evolutionary and ecological processes will further our understanding of the fate of coral assemblages under climate change.

Source: mSystems

DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00266-21

Authors: Timothy D. Swain, Simon Lax, Jack Gilbert, Vadim Backman, Luisa A. Marcelino