The unique coral reef at St. Lucie Reef (Stuart, FL) persists despite environmental variability from extensive freshwater discharges, summer upwelling, and thermal
instability. By examining the symbiotic zooxanthellae, or Symbiodinium, that reside
in corals, we can gain insight to coral physiology impacted by local stressors. Two
scleractinian corals, Montastraea cavernosa and Pseudodiploria clivosa were sampled
over 1.5 years, including both wet and dry seasons. Zooxanthellae were isolated and
quantitatively characterized using standard measurements and molecular techniques.
Both coral species varied in zooxanthellae biomass, where Pseudodiploria clivosa had
Higher cell densities and chlorophyll concentrations than Montastraea cavernosa. Over
time, these parameters varied, but were not significantly altered by fresh water discharge events. Symbiodinium diversity and abundance were identified by ITS2 region amplification and next-generation sequencing .Novel associations between Symbiodinium and each coral explained the observed physiological differences. The symbioses remained stable throughout and could indicate local adaptation for St. Lucie Reef corals. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_13681 |
| Contributors | Klepac, Courtney (author), Voss, Joshua (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor), Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences |
| Publisher | Florida Atlantic University |
| Source Sets | Florida Atlantic University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 88 p., application/pdf |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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