Heat-evolved microalgal symbionts increase thermal bleaching tolerance of coral juveniles without a trade-off against growth
This study was designed to test the effect of heat-evolved macroalgal symbionts against bleaching tolerance in juvenile corals in response to a simulated heatwave.
Juveniles of the coral Acropora tenuis were infected with either wildtype (WT10) or heat-evolved (SS1 or SS8) strains of the Symbiodiniaceae species Cladocopium C1acro (formerly Cladocopium goreaui 2–4).
The juveniles were maintained at ambient conditions (27°C) for 10 months at which time their size was measured. Growth, survival, and metabolism data were collected following a simulated heatwave (31°C for 41 days).
Photographs and PSII maximum quantum yields (Fv/Fm) were collected throughout the heat stress period, stable isotope incubation and cell counts were carried out on day 39, and respirometry on days 40-41. Symbiodiniaceae cell densities per juvenile were quantified to assess bleaching.
Statistical analyses were run in R and respirometry data was analysed using the respR package.
Full methods and technical details are found in the paper https://ssrn.com/abstract=3981099
Data and resources
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Quigley, K.M., Alvarez-Roa, C., Raina, JB. et al. Heat-evolved microalgal symbionts increase thermal bleaching tolerance of coral juveniles without a trade-off…HTML Open
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Harianto, J, Carey, N, Byrne, M. respR—An R package for the manipulation and analysis of respirometry data. Methods Ecol Evol. 2019; 10: 912– 920.…HTML Open
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Additional information
| Date (revision) | 2026-10-24 |
|---|---|
| Status | completed |
| Update frequency | asNeeded |
| Metadata language | en |
| License | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 |
| Source metadata | ISO 19115 XML |
| Last updated | 2026-11-05 |
| Created | 2026-11-05 |
| API | package_show |