Symbiodinium diversity on the Great Barrier Reef (MTSRF Project 2.5i.3)

Samples of S. flexibilis were collected from a total of 11 sites from inshore and offshore reefs within the Torres Strait, Cairns, Townsville and Whitsunday regions of the Great Barrier Reef between December 1998 and February 2000. The microsatellite alleles of Symbiodinium C (loci SymC_3-01, SymC_3-02,SymC_3-03 and SymC_3-04) were analysed for their genetic diversity using the variables inshore/offshore reefs; molecular variance pairwise estimates (FST) of genetic differentiation; and hierarchical cluster analysis of Euclidean distances of frequencies grouped using the UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group with Arithmetic mean) algorithm. Site locations:Torres Straits (Dungeness); Cairns (Agincourt, Escape, Pickersgill and Undine Reefs); Townsville (Great Palm and Orpheus Islands, Rib and Trunk Reefs); Whitsunday (Hook and Deloraine Islands).