![]() ![]() Variation in chloroplast 23S ribosomal DNA and in three polymorphic microsatellite loci was examined. To address the relative importance of genetic and environmental drivers of symbiont uptake/establishment, we examined the acquisition of these dinoflagellate symbionts in one to three‐month‐old recruits of Orbicella faveolata to compare symbiont types present in recruits to those of parental populations versus co‐occurring adults in their destination reef. This suggests a genetic basis for specificity, but local environmental conditions and/or symbiont availability may also play a role in determining which symbionts within the Symbiodiniaceae are initially taken up by the host. Regardless of the mode of acquisition, coral species and individual colonies harbor only a subset of the highly diverse complex of species/taxa within the Symbiodiniaceae. In scleractinian corals, recruits acquire symbionts either “vertically” from the maternal colony or initially lack symbionts and acquire them “horizontally” from the environment. ![]() The symbiotic relationship between dinoflagellate algae in the family Symbiodiniaceae and scleractinian corals forms the base of the tropical reef ecosystem. ![]()
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