Observation of asexual reproduction with symbiont transmission in planktonic foraminifera

• Published in: Journal of Plankton Research
• Main Authors: Takagi, Haruka, Kurasawa, Atsushi, Kimoto, Katsunori
• Other Authors: Dolan, John, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2020
• Subjects: Ecology; Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Planktonic foraminifera
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbaa033; http://academic.oup.com/plankt/article-pdf/42/4/403/33476758/fbaa033.pdf

Abstract Gamete release has been frequently observed in laboratory cultures of various species of planktonic foraminifera. Those observations have been taken as evidence that these organisms produce new generations exclusively by sexual reproduction. We report here the first observation of asexual reproduction in Globigerinita uvula, a small, microperforate foraminifera. The asexual phase was associated with the release of ca. 110 offspring, all of which hosted symbiotic algae that must have been passed on directly from the parent. This event was also the first observation of vertical transmission of symbionts in planktonic foraminifera. Although the trigger of the observed asexual reproduction and its frequency in nature remain unknown, our observation indicates that among the planktonic foraminifera, at least G. uvula has not abandoned the asexual phase of its life cycle.