Abstract
On the Red Sea coral reefs Litophyton arboreum is a common octocoral whose endodermal cells are associated with endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae). Colonies of this species are gonochoric and brood planulae which, upon release, are already associated with the algal symbionts. Algal cells within membrane-bound vacuoles are observed within the gastrovascular cavity of the polyps, adjacent to the oocytes and are gradually phagocytized by the follicular cells which surround the oocytes. During oogenesis, temporary gaps open in the mesoglea underlying the follicular cells. Symbionts within vacuoles, along with cytoplasm and various organelles derived from the follicular cells, are translocated through these gaps. Subsequently, groups of zooxanthellae accumulate at the perioocytic zone, flanked between the mesoglea and oocytic microvilli. At a later stage, prior to the commencement of the breeding season, symbionts pass through the oolemma and rest inside the periphery of the oocytes. It is proposed that early uptake of zooxanthellae by sexual progeny at the oocyte stage, indicates a highly specialized mode of interaction between this algal symbiont and its host.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 473-482 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Tissue and Cell |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1992 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We are grateful to Dr N. E. Chadwick-Fur-man for improving the manuscript. We acknowledget he skilful cooperation of Y. Chanania from the EM Laboratory at Bar Ilan University. Thanks are due also to Y. Delaria from the EM Laboratory at Tel Aviv University. We are gratefult o R. Ben-Hillel for the histologicalw ork and to A. Shoob for help with photography.T hanks are also due to the staff of the Interuniversity Institute of Marine Biology at Eilat for their hospitality and assistanceT. his researchw as supported by a grant to Y.B. from the Basic Research Foundation administeredb y the Israel Academy of Sciencesa nd Humanities.
Funding
We are grateful to Dr N. E. Chadwick-Fur-man for improving the manuscript. We acknowledget he skilful cooperation of Y. Chanania from the EM Laboratory at Bar Ilan University. Thanks are due also to Y. Delaria from the EM Laboratory at Tel Aviv University. We are gratefult o R. Ben-Hillel for the histologicalw ork and to A. Shoob for help with photography.T hanks are also due to the staff of the Interuniversity Institute of Marine Biology at Eilat for their hospitality and assistanceT. his researchw as supported by a grant to Y.B. from the Basic Research Foundation administeredb y the Israel Academy of Sciencesa nd Humanities.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Basic Research Foundation | |
| Israel Academy of Sciencesa nd Humanities |
Keywords
- Litophyton arboreum
- Octocorallia
- infection
- oocyte
- symbiosis
- zooxanthellae