Meeting Abstract

P2.222A  Saturday, Jan. 5  A high-throughput protocol to genotype Symbiodinium using ITS2, a ribosomal DNA marker, for Montastraea faveolata GREEN, E.*; MEDINA, M.; University of California, Merced; University of California, Merced ewindmeyer@gmail.com

Corals form one of the most complex and diverse ecosystems in the world. Their survival depends on an obligate endosymbiont to provide it with essential energy requirements, especially during stress events. Advancements in molecular genetic tools unveil increased species diversity in the genus Symbiodinium. A better understanding of the host-selection process of Symbiodinium and their general ecology is needed, but detecting clade diversity has many challenges. Previous gene targets using mitochondrial gene markers, such as cytochrome oxidase B and chloroplast gene markers such as cp23, have been less effective at distinguishing Symbiodinium species. We propose to optimize a high-throughput protocol to genotype Symbiodinium for internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) to identify cryptic Symbiondinium genera. ITS2 is an ideal universal marker as it has successfully revealed sub-clade diversity in a suite of micro-organisms and has conserved base pair changes able to reveal cryptic species. We will genotype lineages of cultured Symbiodinium cells known to exist in Montastraea faveolata, an endangered Caribbean coral species. The protocol will be optimized on cultured cells and verified on up to 200 previously collected samples of Montastraea faveolata from variable health conditions and depth gradients. An effective universal molecular marker that reveals divergent lineages will enhance our understanding of the coral-dinoflagellate relationship and ability to protect endangered coral ecosystems throughout the world.