The corallivorous flatworm Amakusaplana acroporae: an invasive species threat to coral reefs?
The corallivorous flatworm Amakusaplana acroporae: an invasive species threat to coral reefs?
Fatal infestations of land-based Acropora cultures with so-called Acropora-eating flatworms(AEFWs) are a global phenomenon. We evaluate the hypothesis that AEFWs represent a risk to coral reefs by studying the biology and the invasive potential of an AEFW strain from the UK. Molecular analyses identified this strain as Amakusaplana acroporae, a new species described from two US aquaria and one natural location in Australia. Our molecular data together with life history strategies described here suggest that this species accounts for most reported cases of AEFW infestations. We show that local parasitic activity impairs the light-acclimation capacity of the whole host colony. A. acroporae acquires excellent camouflage by harbouring photosynthetically competent, host-derived zooxanthellae and pigments of the green-fluorescent protein family. It shows a preference for Acropora valida but accepts a broad host range. Parasite survival in isolation (5–7 d) potentially allows for an invasion when introduced as non-native species in coral reefs.
acropora-eating flatworms, amakusaplana acroporae, invasive species, gfp-like fluorescent proteins, corallivory, photoprotection, green fluorescent protein, biomarker
267-272
Hume, Benjamin Charles Clayton
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D’Angelo, Cecilia
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Cunnington, Anna
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Smith, Edward G.
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Wiedenmann, Jörg
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March 2014
Hume, Benjamin Charles Clayton
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D’Angelo, Cecilia
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Cunnington, Anna
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Smith, Edward G.
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Wiedenmann, Jörg
ad445af2-680f-4927-90b3-589ac9d538f7
Hume, Benjamin Charles Clayton, D’Angelo, Cecilia, Cunnington, Anna, Smith, Edward G. and Wiedenmann, Jörg
(2014)
The corallivorous flatworm Amakusaplana acroporae: an invasive species threat to coral reefs?
Coral Reefs, 33 (1), .
(doi:10.1007/s00338-013-1101-6).
Abstract
Fatal infestations of land-based Acropora cultures with so-called Acropora-eating flatworms(AEFWs) are a global phenomenon. We evaluate the hypothesis that AEFWs represent a risk to coral reefs by studying the biology and the invasive potential of an AEFW strain from the UK. Molecular analyses identified this strain as Amakusaplana acroporae, a new species described from two US aquaria and one natural location in Australia. Our molecular data together with life history strategies described here suggest that this species accounts for most reported cases of AEFW infestations. We show that local parasitic activity impairs the light-acclimation capacity of the whole host colony. A. acroporae acquires excellent camouflage by harbouring photosynthetically competent, host-derived zooxanthellae and pigments of the green-fluorescent protein family. It shows a preference for Acropora valida but accepts a broad host range. Parasite survival in isolation (5–7 d) potentially allows for an invasion when introduced as non-native species in coral reefs.
Text
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e-pub ahead of print date: November 2013
Published date: March 2014
Keywords:
acropora-eating flatworms, amakusaplana acroporae, invasive species, gfp-like fluorescent proteins, corallivory, photoprotection, green fluorescent protein, biomarker
Organisations:
Ocean and Earth Science
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 360272
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/360272
ISSN: 0722-4028
PURE UUID: b0f7cd2d-f66b-4e04-981a-8b3314876308
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Date deposited: 02 Dec 2013 15:16
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:28
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Author:
Benjamin Charles Clayton Hume
Author:
Anna Cunnington
Author:
Edward G. Smith
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