We characterized bactericidal permeability-increasing proteins (BPIs) of the squid Euprymna scolopes, EsBPI2 and EsBPI4. They have molecular characteristics typical of other animal BPIs, are closely related to one another, and nest phylogenetically among invertebrate BPIs. Purified EsBPIs had antimicrobial activity against the squid's symbiont, Vibrio fischeri, which colonizes light organ crypt...

One of the outstanding and poorly understood examples of cooperation between species is found in corals, hydras and jellyfish that form symbioses with algae. These mutualistic algae are mostly acquired infectiously from the seawater and, according to models of virulence evolution, should be selected to parasitize their hosts. We altered algal transmission between jellyfish hosts in the laborato...

Spectral reflectance patterns of corals are driven largely by the pigments of photosynthetic symbionts within the host cnidarian. The warm inshore bays and cooler offshore reefs of Palau share a variety of coral species with differing endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (genus: Symbiodinium), with the thermally tolerant Symbiodinium trenchii (S. trenchii) (= type D1a or D1-4) predominating under the ...

The global distribution of marine species, many of which disperse during the larval stages, is influenced by ocean temperature regimes. Here, we test how temperature and the coral symbionts (Symbiodinium) affect survival, symbiont uptake, settlement success and habitat choice of Acropora millepora larvae. Experiments were conducted at Heron Island (Australia), where larvae were exposed to 22.5,...

The major gut bacteria of the worker caste of nine species of Australian termites, belonging to four families, were isolated and identified to generic level. All species were either facultative anaerobes or strict aerobes. A correlation appears to exist between the major gut bacterium and the family to which the termite belongs. The major bacterium from the two lowest termites, Mastotermes darw...

Endosymbiosis allows hosts to acquire new functional traits such that the combined host and endosymbiont can exploit vacant ecological niches and occupy novel environments [1, 2]; consequently, endosymbiosis affects the structure and function of ecosystems [3, 4]. However, for many endosymbioses, it is unknown whether their evolutionary basis is mutualism or exploitation [5-9]. We estimated the...

HOST-SYMBIONT COEVOLUTION IN DIGITAL AND MICROBIAL SYSTEMS

Metacommunity membership is influenced by habitat availability and trophic requirements. However, for multitrophic horizontally transmitted symbiont communities that are closely associated with hosts, symbiont–host interactions may affect criteria in novel ways. For example, failure of beneficial services from symbionts could influence the host, turn, entire community. Understanding such host–s...

Abstract Background Co-infection of endosymbionts in the same host is ubiquitous, and interactions most common symbiont Wolbachia with other symbionts, including Spiroplasma , invertebrate organisms have received increasing attention. However, between Arsenophonus, another widely distributed nature, are poorly understood. We tested co-infection Arsenophonus different populations Nilaparvata lug...

This study has examined the effect of low seawater pH values (induced by an increased CO2 partial pressure) on the rates of photosynthesis, as well as on the carbon budget and carbon translocation in the scleractinian coral species Stylophora pistillata, using a new model based on 13C labelling of the photosynthetic products. Symbiont photosynthesis contributes to a large part of the carbon acq...