Abstract
Even though soft corals are an integral part of the coral reef ecosystem, very little research has focused on theirendosymbiotic association with the zooxanthellae (Symbiodiniaceae). Symbiotic algae appear in soft corals from both the tropical seas as well as temperate regions across the world. The present study provides a list of soft corals along with their associated zooxanthellae using published data. By combining all the data, 52 soft coral species belonging to 21 genera were identified and their corresponding specific Symbiodiniaceae genera were analysed. It was important to initially compare soft corals and distinguish zooxanthellae at clade level to find any host specificity. The vast majority (75 %) of soft corals predominantly hosted the genus Cladocopium (Clade C) and therefore the focus of this study was to evaluate its geographical distribution. The genus Cladocopium consists of many species which are classified as subclades in this study, exhibiting high intra-clade diversity. For 40 of the 52 soft corals reviewed, 18 % had the same clade type C1 (considered as generalists and ancestral) and 13 % contained the clades C15, C64 and C1:3a, respectively. Analysis showed that some clades (C71a, C15b and C64) were confined to specific geographical regions while clade C1 was distributed worldwide. Understanding the distribution of endosymbionts may enable predictions of which symbioses will survive and exist under future climate change scenarios.
Highlights
Global coral communities have been severely damaged as a result of natural and anthropogenic disasters (Dar et al, 2012), and soft corals which occupy up to 25 % of the primary space (Benayahu, 1995) have been affected
Fifty-two soft coral species belonging to 21 genera from the families Alcyoniidae, Nephteidae and Xeniidae obtained from various research works as well as their corresponding Symbiodiniaceae genera were studied
60 % of the soft corals were from Australia (Great Barrier Reef and Lizard Island), while the rest were from the Red Sea, Hawaii, Fiji, Guam and China
Summary
Global coral communities have been severely damaged as a result of natural and anthropogenic disasters (Dar et al, 2012), and soft corals which occupy up to 25 % of the primary space (Benayahu, 1995) have been affected. About 107 species of soft corals have been reported in Brazilian waters (Almeida et al, 2014), 80 species in the inshore zone of the Red Sea (Dar et al, 2012), and 70 species in Taiwanese reefs (Banayahu et al, 2004). They may be found in many colder regions such as Antarctica, southern Africa, the Pacific Northwest coast of North America, and the North Atlantic (Haverkort-Yeh et al, 2013). The tentacles contain sensory cells which are filled with zooxanthellae, unicellular photosynthetic microalgae belonging to the Symbiodiniaceae (Order Suessiales, Class Dinophyceae) (Fournier, 2013)
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