Spatial variability in coral-algal symbiosis within polyps and colonies: developing methods to investigate symbiont acquisition and expulsion and assess the management potential of inoculating corals with resilient algae. Interim report.

Abstract

The initial goals of this project are to design and rigorously evaluate the specificity of oligonucleotide probes required for the identification and localization of algal symbionts (Symbiodinium spp.) in reef corals using fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH). Once appropriate probes have been designed, the FISH protocol will then be applied to studying symbiont distribution in cross sections of coral tissue prepared on slides.