Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-11-2014
Keywords
Anthopleura elegantissima, Symbiodinium, Fitness, Life history, Symbiosis, Reproduction
Abstract
Along the North American Pacific coast, the common intertidal sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima engages in facultative, flexible symbioses with Symbiodinium muscatinei (a dinoflagellate) and Elliptochloris marina (a chloro- phyte). Determining how symbiotic state affects host fitness is essential to understanding the ecological significance of engaging in such flexible relationships with diverse symbionts. Fitness consequences of hosting S. muscatinei, E. marina or negligible numbers of either symbiont (aposymbiosis) were investigated by measuring growth, cloning by fission and gonad development after 8.5 – 11 months of sustained exposure to high, moderate or low irradiance under seasonal environmental conditions. Both symbiotic state and irradiance affected host fitness, leading to divergent life-history strategies. Moderate and high irradiances led to a greater level of gonad development in individuals hosting E. marina, while high irradiance and high summer temperature promoted cloning in individuals hosting S. muscatinei and reduced fitness of aposymbiotic anemones. Associating with S. muscatinei may contribute to the success of A. elegantissima as a spatial competitor on the high shore: (i) by offsetting the costs of living under high temperature and irradiance conditions, and (ii) by promoting a high fission rate and clonal expansion. Our results suggest that basic life-history characteristics of a clonal cnidarian can be affected by the identity of the endosymbionts it hosts.
Publication Title
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Volume
281
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0548
Required Publisher's Statement
Copyright 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.
Recommended Citation
Bingham, Brian L.; Dimond, James L.; and Muller-Parker, Gisele, "Symbiont presence and identity influence life history strategies of a temperate sea anemone" (2014). Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications. 34.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/esci_facpubs/34
Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
Sea anemones--Clones--Pacific Coast (North America); Sea anemones--Effect of temperature on--Pacific Coast (North America); Marine algae; Symbiosis
Geographic Coverage
Pacific Coast (North America)
Genre/Form
articles
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Comments
From Royal Society Publishing website: Delayed free access: Articles more than 12 months old (biological sciences) and 24 months old (physical sciences)