An agent-based simulation model of sponge: algae symbiotic relationships

Abstract

One of the most important ecological interactions that occurs in shallow tropical habitats worldwide involves trophic (feeding) interactions between symbiotic dinoflagellate algae and a variety of invertebrate and protistan hosts, such as sponges and coral. The algal symbionts, known as Symbiodinium, reside within the host cells, and have long been recognized to be of vital energetic importance to the host. Unfortunately, the dynamics of the associations (e.g., symbiont population growth behavior, loss of symbionts from the host, competition among different symbiont types, host responses to symbionts of different quality) are poorly understood. This paper presents an agent-based simulation model for studying the symbiotic relationship between algal symbionts and host sponges. Initial results demonstrate realistic behavior by the model and suggest important future research directions, coordinating model extensions with experiments to be performed in tropical habitat field work.