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Relative Contributions of Various Cellular Mechanisms to Loss of Algae during Cnidarian Bleaching.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bieri, T; Onishi, M; Xiang, T; Grossman, AR; Pringle, JR
Published in: PloS one
January 2016

When exposed to stress such as high seawater temperature, corals and other cnidarians can bleach due to loss of symbiotic algae from the host tissue and/or loss of pigments from the algae. Although the environmental conditions that trigger bleaching are reasonably well known, its cellular and molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Previous studies have reported the occurrence of at least four different cellular mechanisms for the loss of symbiotic algae from the host tissue: in situ degradation of algae, exocytic release of algae from the host, detachment of host cells containing algae, and death of host cells containing algae. The relative contributions of these several mechanisms to bleaching remain unclear, and it is also not known whether these relative contributions change in animals subjected to different types and/or durations of stresses. In this study, we used a clonal population of the small sea anemone Aiptasia, exposed individuals to various precisely controlled stress conditions, and quantitatively assessed the several possible bleaching mechanisms in parallel. Under all stress conditions tested, except for acute cold shock at 4°C, expulsion of intact algae from the host cells appeared to be by far the predominant mechanism of bleaching. During acute cold shock, in situ degradation of algae and host-cell detachment also became quantitatively significant, and the algae released under these conditions appeared to be severely damaged.

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Published In

PloS one

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

ISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

January 2016

Volume

11

Issue

4

Start / End Page

e0152693

Related Subject Headings

  • Temperature
  • Symbiosis
  • Stress, Physiological
  • Sea Anemones
  • Pigmentation
  • General Science & Technology
  • Environment
  • Cnidaria
  • Chlorophyta
  • Animals
 

Citation

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Bieri, T., Onishi, M., Xiang, T., Grossman, A. R., & Pringle, J. R. (2016). Relative Contributions of Various Cellular Mechanisms to Loss of Algae during Cnidarian Bleaching. PloS One, 11(4), e0152693. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152693
Bieri, Tamaki, Masayuki Onishi, Tingting Xiang, Arthur R. Grossman, and John R. Pringle. “Relative Contributions of Various Cellular Mechanisms to Loss of Algae during Cnidarian Bleaching.PloS One 11, no. 4 (January 2016): e0152693. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152693.
Bieri T, Onishi M, Xiang T, Grossman AR, Pringle JR. Relative Contributions of Various Cellular Mechanisms to Loss of Algae during Cnidarian Bleaching. PloS one. 2016 Jan;11(4):e0152693.
Bieri, Tamaki, et al. “Relative Contributions of Various Cellular Mechanisms to Loss of Algae during Cnidarian Bleaching.PloS One, vol. 11, no. 4, Jan. 2016, p. e0152693. Epmc, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0152693.
Bieri T, Onishi M, Xiang T, Grossman AR, Pringle JR. Relative Contributions of Various Cellular Mechanisms to Loss of Algae during Cnidarian Bleaching. PloS one. 2016 Jan;11(4):e0152693.

Published In

PloS one

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

ISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

January 2016

Volume

11

Issue

4

Start / End Page

e0152693

Related Subject Headings

  • Temperature
  • Symbiosis
  • Stress, Physiological
  • Sea Anemones
  • Pigmentation
  • General Science & Technology
  • Environment
  • Cnidaria
  • Chlorophyta
  • Animals