Green fluorescence from cnidarian hosts attracts symbiotic algae

Significance

Reef-building corals cannot survive without symbiotic algae, Symbiodinium, on which they depend for most of their energy. Most coral species gain symbionts from the environment early in life, and possibly after bleaching (i.e., the loss of symbionts in response to stress). However, Symbiodinium density on coral reefs is very low. Although it has long been hypothesized that corals must be able to attract free-living Symbiodinium, such a mechanism has yet to be identified. Here, we use a series of experiments to demonstrate that corals attract Symbiodinium using their endogenous GFP-related green fluorescence, revealing a biological signaling mechanism that underlies the success of this symbioses that is the building block of coral reef ecosystems.

Abstract

Reef-building corals thrive in nutrient-poor marine environments because of an obligate symbiosis with photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium. Symbiosis is established in most corals through the uptake of Symbiodinium from the environment. Corals are sessile for most of their life history, whereas free-living Symbiodinium are motile; hence, a mechanism to attract Symbiodinium would greatly increase the probability of encounter between host and symbiont. Here, we examined whether corals can attract free-living motile Symbiodinium by their green fluorescence, emitted by the excitation of endogenous GFP by purple-blue light. We found that Symbiodinium have positive and negative phototaxis toward weak green and strong purple-blue light, respectively. Under light conditions that cause corals to emit green fluorescence, (e.g., strong blue light), Symbiodinium were attracted toward live coral fragments. Symbiodinium were also attracted toward an artificial green fluorescence dye with similar excitation and emission spectra to coral-GFP. In the field, more Symbiodinium were found in traps painted with a green fluorescence dye than in controls. Our results revealed a biological signaling mechanism between the coral host and its potential symbionts.