Symbiodinium Changes Under Coral Disease in Montastraea Faveolata

Caribbean coral reefs have experienced an increase in the number of diseases and disease outbreaks within the last 10 years. One disease, Yellow Band Disease (YBD), also known as Yellow Blotch Disease, is widespread throughout the Caribbean and affects several coral species including Montastraea spp., which are dominant reef building species in this region. While it is known that corals live in symbiosis with dinoflagellate endosymbionts (Symbiodinium spp.), little is known of the interactions between Symbiodinium and diseased corals. Montastraea faveolata colonies found in the Caribbean Sea are associated with multiple clades of Symbiodinium. In this study we collected samples from both healthy and diseased colonies. We extracted DNA and amplified the Symbiodinium 18S ribosomal DNA gene. We analyzed phylotype polymorphism by restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) to compare Symbiodinium clade signatures across samples. We observed changes in Symbiodinium clade diversity when comparing healthy vs YBD inflicted M. faveolata colonies.