Exploring the Role of Symbiosis in Marine Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

The vast majority of marine organisms (if not all of them) are directly linked to another marine organism; this ranges from a simple to a highly intricate relationship that falls under the umbrella term of symbiosis. There are a multitude of ways that these symbiotic relationships, regardless of whether it is ectosymbiosis or endosymbiosis, vary from mutualism to commensalism to parasitism, with differing degrees of interaction between the host and symbiont. What may be mutualistic under an optimal set of environmental or organismal conditions may suddenly shift towards parasitism under a different set of environmental or organismal conditions, and vice versa. Although there are many keynote examples of mutualism (coral–dinoflagellates, anemonefish–anemones, mollusk–bacteria, tubeworm–bacteria), commensalism (whale–barnacle, shark–remora, decorator crab–sponge), and parasitism (fish–lamprey, fish–crustacean, crab–barnacle), the majority of these defining associations explore the relationship between the symbiotic partners; indeed, few, if any, look at the role that these complex symbiotic associations play at various levels of the biological network or ecosystem ecology.

Are these various symbiotic interactions, that range from facultative or obligate associations, limited in scope to the interplay amongst the two (or more) organisms that are directly involved and that constitute the holobiont, or is there a more significant level of participation when evaluating these symbioses if a wider ecological role is considered? For example, the process of symbiosis necessitates the propulsion of evolution or co-evolution forward, as the partners in the association change and adapt over time. With the onset of climate change, which affects a wide range of marine habitats and organisms, there is no doubt that these symbiotic associations will undergo adaptation(s) at various time scales; if they do not, this will lead to localized extinctions. Given such consideration of the potential broader impacts of symbiosis on marine organisms, and by extension, on the ecological diversity of the environment, the focus of this Special Issue is on “exploring the role of symbiosis in marine ecosystems”. Research and review articles that deal with interesting, exciting, and wide-reaching symbiosis subject matter are welcome; please send an abstract prior to submitting a manuscript to ensure that your research does fall within the priorities and scope of this Special Issue. Thank you for your time, and Biology and I look forward to hearing from you regarding your favorite symbiotic association!

Dr. Alan Verde
Guest Editor

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• symbiosis
• photosymbiosis
• chemosymbiosis
• endosymbiosis
• ectosymbiosis
• holobiont
• mutualism
• commensalism
• parasitism