Photobleaching and Recovery of Symbiodiniaceae Effrenium voratum SCS01 Reveals Life Form Transformation Under Thermal Stress

• DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.740416
• Publication Date: 2021-12-01T16:56:29Z
• Authors: Sanqiang Gong; Gang Li; Xuejie Jin; Dajun Qiu; Jiayuan Liang; Kefu Yu; Yehui Tan; Xiao Ma; Xiaomin Xia
• Keywords: Photobleaching; Mixotroph; Coral bleaching; Photoprotection

Dinoflagellates in the family Symbiodiniaceae contain a number of species and play an important role establishment coral reef ecosystems oligotrophic marine waters. Effrenium voratum is likely exclusively free-living heterotrophic Symbiodiniaceae. How this responds acclimates to warming largely unknown. The present study experimentally established phenotypic landscapes related photobleaching recovery processes SCS01 following thermal stress. We found that stress bleached plastids E. caused cells become lighter color. Thereafter, recovered rapidly when they returned optimal temperature. dominant life form shifted from mastigote coccoid then cells. Transcriptome analysis revealed was due increased degradation decreased biosynthesis photosynthetic pigments. thermally induced changes were downregulation genes for cell motility. Our results mechanism indicated transformation as newly identified survival strategy under