Symbiodiniaceae in and ex hospite have differential physiological responses under different heat stress scenarios

ABSTRACT Extreme seawater temperatures are linked to increasingly frequent cnidarian bleaching, a breakdown of the symbiosis between host and endosymbiotic dinoflagellates. This can be driven by several anthropogenic stressors, of which seawater warming is a major and frequent one. It remains unclear whether this is caused by intrinsic properties of the host or exclusively by the symbiont. This study investigates the response to elevated temperatures of dinoflagellate symbionts in and ex hospite, particularly to find out whether thermal tolerance differs between endosymbionts and free-living micro-algae. Maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm ) and symbiont cell density were measured in seven different cnidarian species and five cultures of isolated endosymbionts subjected to temperatures of 26°C (control), 30°C and 34°C for 21 days. Isolated dinoflagellate cells showed a susceptibility to elevated temperatures of 30°C, evidenced by a decrease in photochemical efficiency and cell density of the cultures, as well as a progressive disintegration of cellular structures and loss of pigmentation of all but two cultures during the first week of exposure. Bleaching of coral holobionts at 30°C could be explained by reduced density of algae cells in host tissue. This effect was particularly evident in soft corals. Exposure to 34°C resulted in drastic bleaching of stony coral species, anemones and jellyfish, and even the death of soft corals. Data from this study show different responses to elevated thermal conditions across several species and different genera of symbionts and emphasize the important role of dinoflagellate symbionts in the holobiont response to elevated seawater temperatures.