The symbioses of the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana; from prokaryote to eukaryote

Open Access
- Author:
- Sharp, Victoria
- Graduate Program:
- Biology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 23, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Shaun Mahony, Outside Unit & Field Member
Todd Lajeunesse, Chair of Committee
Monica Medina, Major Field Member & Dissertation Advisor
Gabriele Monshausen, Major Field Member
Elizabeth Mcgraw, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- Cassiopea
symbiosis
Symbiodiniaceae
Symbiodinium
jellyfish
scyphozoa
fungi
fungus
husbandry
aquaculture
marine biology - Abstract:
- Symbiosis is the basis of all biological life, from the evolution of eukaryotic cells to animal health driven by gut microbiomes. Holobionts, or the collection of a host and its symbionts, are often difficult to study due to difficulties rearing species of interest in a lab and manipulating the host-symbiont collection. Model organisms on questions of symbiosis can reveal mechanisms applicable to a wide range of related species, and benefit from ease of husbandry in labs. Proper care of these model organisms is critical for ethical considerations and the accurate collection of data. In this dissertation, I establish husbandry standards for the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana and carry these standards into an exploration of host-symbiont interactions. My first chapter serves as the first guide to C. xamachana husbandry at all points of its life cycle, aiding labs beginning to work on this model and senior labs alike. My second chapter then explores the plasticity of C. xamachana with photosymbiotic dinoflagellates in the family Symbiodiniaceae. It both reveals the difference in offspring production when symbiotic with various species, and establishes a list of species and lab-grown strains of Symbiodiniaceae that can form symbiosis with C. xamachana. Finally, my third chapter explores the existence of fungal symbionts in adult C. xamachana. The work presented here facilitates laboratory research on C. xamachana and reveals symbiont diversity in a marine holobiont.