MEPS 244:17-26 (2002)  -  doi:10.3354/meps244017

ABSTRACT: To investigate the molecular diversity of symbiotic algae at the latitudinal limits of their distribution, the ribosomal RNA gene sequences (rDNA) of the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium in benthic Cnidaria (corals, sea anemones etc.) on Bermuda (32°N) and in the Mediterranean and NE Atlantic (35 to 53°N) were analysed. The algae in Bermudian Cnidaria were identified as Symbiodinium of Phylotypes A, B and C, as previously described for benthic Cnidaria in the Caribbean (12 to 27°N). The algae in every sample of sea anemones (Anemonia spp. and Cereus pedunculatus) in the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean were a previously undescribed group within Phylotype A, possibly endemic to this high latitude region.

KEY WORDS: Symbiosis · Symbiodinium · Zooxanthellae · Molecular diversity · Marginal populations