Securing algal endosymbiont communities for reef-building corals

Abstract

Photosynthetic dinoflagellates that live in symbiosis with corals (family Symbiodiniaceae) are fundamental for the survival of coral reef ecosystems. During coral bleaching events, it is assumed that these symbionts remain available in the water column, in sediments, or are seeded from unbleached coral colonies. Yet, this hypothesis has not been verified and it remains unclear whether some diversity of Symbiodiniaceae may be lost in the process. Culture methods have been developed for some Symbiodiniaceae, but for the vast majority of these photosynthetic symbionts, known culture methods are not successful at maintaining them for extensive periods. For these unculturable symbionts, cryopreservation, which places cells and tissues in suspended animation for days to decades, offers the best hope for saving the biodiversity of these crucial coral partners. Some cryopreservation processes use slow freezing, but if the cells are sensitive to low temperatures, as is the case for Symbiodiniaceae, then rapid freezing, called vitrification, is needed. We here, tested two published vitrification protocols that had been designed for algal symbionts extracted from Hawaiian corals, but we were unable to recover living symbionts after vitrification and warming. Therefore, we report a successful optimisation of the former vitrification protocols, which we tested on algal symbionts freshly extracted from three Hawaiian coral species, the development of ultra-rapid laser-warming cryopreservation techniques for symbionts, and banking procedures for algal symbionts. We also present some successful uptake of cryopreserved algal symbionts by coral larvae, although at a low rate. It is unclear why the former vitrification protocols failed but we propose that it may have been related to thermal stress and bleaching events that occurred on several occasions throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Maintenance of biodiversity is essential for sustaining functional, productive ecosystems with the adaptability to effectively recover from disturbances. By successfully cryopreserving and banking coral symbionts, we provide a critically needed component for securing Symbiodiniaceae biodiversity into the future.