Differential stability of photosynthetic membranes and fatty acid composition at elevated temperature in Symbiodinium

Coral reefs are threatened by increasing surface seawater temperatures resulting from climate change. Reef-building corals symbiotic with dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium experience dramatic reductions in algal densities when exposed to temperatures above the long-term local summer average,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Coral reefs 2011-03, Vol.30 (1), p.217-225
Main Authors: Díaz-Almeyda, E, Thomé, P. E, El Hafidi, M, Iglesias-Prieto, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Aquatic life
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Climate change
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Coral bleaching
Coral reefs
Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration
Fatty acid desaturation
Fatty acids
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
High temperature
Life Sciences
Membranes
Ocean temperature
Oceanography
Photosynthesis
Sea water ecosystems
Seawater
Symbiodinium
Symbiosis
Symbiotic dinoflagellates
Synecology
Thermal stress
Water temperature
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Summary:Coral reefs are threatened by increasing surface seawater temperatures resulting from climate change. Reef-building corals symbiotic with dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium experience dramatic reductions in algal densities when exposed to temperatures above the long-term local summer average, leading to a phenomenon called coral bleaching. Although the temperature-dependent loss in photosynthetic function of the algal symbionts has been widely recognized as one of the early events leading to coral bleaching, there is considerable debate regarding the actual damage site. We have tested the relative thermal stability and composition of membranes in Symbiodinium exposed to high temperature. Our results show that melting curves of photosynthetic membranes from different symbiotic dinoflagellates substantiate a species-specific sensitivity to high temperature, while variations in fatty acid composition under high temperature rather suggest a complex process in which various modifications in lipid composition may be involved. Our results do not support the role of unsaturation of fatty acids of the thylakoid membrane as being mechanistically involved in bleaching nor as being a dependable tool for the diagnosis of thermal susceptibility of symbiotic reef corals.
ISSN:0722-4028
1432-0975
DOI:10.1007/s00338-010-0691-5