在微真核生物中,遗传变异和功能变异有时比形态差异积累得更快。为了了解这些谱系的进化史和生态学,关键是检查组织多个层面的多样性。在鞭毛藻科共生菌科中,可以与刺胞动物形成内共生(例如,珊瑚,八角珊瑚,海葵,水母),其他海洋无脊椎动物(例如,海绵,软体动物,扁虫),和原生生物(例如,有孔虫),在过去的三十年中,分子数据已被广泛用于描述表型并做出进化和生态推断。尽管在共生子科基因组学方面取得了进展,研究人员在解释遗传数据方面缺乏共识,这减缓了该领域的进展,并成为调和观察结果的障碍。这里,我们确定了在三个层面上评估和解释共生菌科遗传多样性的关键挑战:物种,人口,和社区。我们总结了协议的领域,并强调了被广泛接受的技术和方法。在仍有争论的领域,我们确定了尚未解决的问题,并讨论了可以帮助填补与遗传和表型多样性相关的知识空白的技术和方法。我们还讨论了刺激进步的方法,特别是通过培养一个更具包容性和协作性的研究社区。我们希望这种观点将通过作为设计实验的资源来激发和加速珊瑚礁科学,出版研究,并申请与共生科及其共生伙伴关系有关的资金。
Within microeukaryotes, genetic variation and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history and ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels of organization. In the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians (e.g., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellyfish), other marine invertebrates (e.g., sponges, molluscs, flatworms), and protists (e.g., foraminifera), molecular data have been used extensively over the past three decades to describe phenotypes and to make evolutionary and ecological inferences. Despite advances in Symbiodiniaceae genomics, a lack of
consensus among researchers with respect to interpreting genetic data has slowed progress in the field and acted as a barrier to reconciling observations. Here, we identify key challenges regarding the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae genetic diversity across three levels:
species, populations, and communities. We summarize areas of agreement and highlight techniques and approaches that are broadly accepted. In areas where debate remains, we identify unresolved issues and discuss technologies and approaches that can help to fill knowledge gaps related to genetic and phenotypic diversity. We also discuss ways to stimulate progress, in particular by fostering a more inclusive and collaborative research community. We hope that this perspective will inspire and accelerate coral reef science by serving as a resource to those designing experiments, publishing research, and applying for funding related to Symbiodiniaceae and their symbiotic partnerships.