Examination of the Biochemical and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Establishment of Cnidarian-Algal Symbioses

在每个生态系统中，存在着两个或两个以上互不相关的生物体之间的9728405种共生关系。这些关系涵盖了一系列的生活方式，从互惠到寄生，从胞外到胞内。最重要的海洋互惠关系是珊瑚和它们的藻类共生体之间的共生关系，它们共同构成了整个珊瑚礁生态系统的基础。在宏观层面上，人们对珊瑚有很多了解，比如它们的全球分布和生态。然而，在这些共生体的启动、建立和维持期间发生的伙伴间沟通和调节的微尺度过程在很大程度上仍未被探索。缺乏对这些过程的基本知识，阻碍了理解珊瑚白化这一全球现象的努力，这是共生关系破裂的结果。广泛的白化导致珊瑚死亡和珊瑚礁退化，被认为是一个严重的环境威胁。这项研究将采用多层次的方法来检查围绕珊瑚和它们的共生藻类之间开始共生的初始事件。PIS将研究珊瑚在自然生命周期中何时以及如何建立共生关系。其次，PIS将调查伙伴关系的建立对宿主珊瑚的生物化学和分子生物学的影响。

Weis 9728405 Symbiotic associations between two or more unrelated organisms are found throughout every ecosystem. These relationships encompass a spectrum of lifestyles, from mutualistic to parasitic, and from extracellular to intracellular. Among the most significant marine mutualisms are those between corals and their algal symbionts, which together form the foundation of the entire coral reef ecosystem. A great deal is known about corals on a macroscale level, such as their global distribution and ecology. However, microscale processes of inter-partner communication and regulation that occur during the initiation, establishment and maintenance of these symbioses remain largely unexplored. A lack of basic knowledge of these processes has hampered efforts to understand the global phenomenon of coral bleaching, which is the result of the breakdown of the symbiosis. Widespread bleaching, which leads to coral death and reef degradation, is considered a serious environmental threat. This study will take a multileveled approach to the examination of the initial events surrounding the onset of symbiosis between corals and their symbiotic algae. The PIs will examine when and how the symbiosis is established during the natural life cycle of corals. Secondly, the PIs will investigate the effects that the establishment of the partnership has on the biochemistry and molecular biology of the host coral.