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Geographical, temporal and environmental patterns of coral-Symbiodinium-bacteria networks

Corals form the backbone of crucial and dominant marine benthic coastal habitats worldwide and coral reefs are among the most biologically productive and economically important habitats in the world. They are the building blocks of tropical marine ecosystems and they rival rain forests in productivity, diversity and biological complexity.Much of the success of corals is due to the various symbioses that they can establish with Symbiodinium (their symbiotic unicellular dinoflagellate algal partners), as well as with bacteria and other microbial communities. Despite our increased understanding of these symbioses there are still many aspects of these relationships that need to be clarified. In particular, there are very few studies that have focused on the networks formed between multiple partners within the coral ‘holobiont’ and their pattern of specificity under different geographical,temporal under ambient and disturbed environmental conditions

This project aims to identify and characterise baseline associations of coral-Symbiodinium-bacteria communities across a long term period, under ambient and disturbed environmental conditions and during different developmental stages (from gametes to adults coral colonies). Results will enable a better understanding of the interactions between/within partners of the coral ‘holobiont’ and their pattern of dynamicity in response to external fluctuations (i.e. temperature,salinity, nutrients availability). Therefore, this project will assess the diversity of coral-associated Symbiodinium and bacteria through a massively tag sequencing strategy, while associations will be determined through the Network theory approach.

Funding agency

Edith Cowan University
Curtin University
BioPlatform
Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment

Project duration

Three year – PhD project


Researchers

Rachele Bernasconi, PhD Student

Supervisors

Dr Megan Huggett
Associate Professor Annette Koenders
Curtin University, Dr Michael Stat

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