Meeting Abstract

P3.188  Friday, Jan. 6  Kleptoplasty in the Foraminifera of Coastal South Carolina LECHLITER, S. M.*; CEVASCO, M. H.; Coastal Carolina University smlechli@g.coastal.edu

The phenomenon of kleptoplasty in which the plastids of algal prey are sequestered by predators/hosts and are kept functional (photosynthetically active) for an extended period of time (weeks/months), is examined in foraminiferal taxa collected from tidal lagoons habitats along the SC coast. The taxonomic identity of the hosts and the sequestered plastids involved in this form of plastid husbandry are determined using both sequence and morphological data. These data are compared to those collected by (Pillet et al, 2011) from field sites in the Northeastern Atlantic. This work explores the geographic patterning, influence of prey diversity, and overall specificity of the kleptoplastic condition in the foraminifera of coastal South Carolina.