No habitat correlation of zooxanthellae in the coral genus Madracis on a Curacao reef

Symbiotic dinoflagellates belonging to the genus Symbiodinium (zooxanthellae) play an important role in ecological specialization and physiological adaptation in corals, We examined the diversity and depth distribution of zooxanthellae in 5 morphospecies of Madracis at the Buoy I study-reef on Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, Following earlier studies, we examined length and sequence variation in the D1 and D2 domains of the nuclear rDNA, large subunit (LSU) of Madracis-associated zooxanthellae. Both RFLP and sequence comparisons showed that all 5 Madracis morphospecies host a single type of Sym... Mehr ...