Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
4397126 Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 2008 4 Pages PDF
Abstract

Siderastrea stellata is a common scleractinian coral that inhabits shallow reefs off the coast of Brazil. This species is considered to be very resistant to temperature and salinity variations and water turbidity, demonstrating great ecological plasticity and adaptability to environmental changes. Samples of S. stellata were taken from the Cabo Branco coastal reefs near João Pessoa, Brazil, every month for two years and analyzed using PCR and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms of SSU rDNA techniques. The data indicated that during the study period S. stellata hosted only one SSU rDNA genotype of Symbiodinium with the RFLP pattern of clade C. The presence of clade C zooxanthellae in S. stellata in northeastern Brazilian reefs shows the wide geographical distribution of this clade, and it may aid bleaching recovery in S. stellata. Furthermore, the association of S. stellata with a zooxanthellae clade considered to be one of most resistant to bleaching may help to explain the high ecological plasticity of this scleractinian species, its capacity to reverse bleaching, and its high resistance and resilience to environmental disturbances.

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Life Sciences Agricultural and Biological Sciences Aquatic Science
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