Journal article
Evidence of Holarctic distribution: common frog Rana temporaria eggs in Fennoscandia host photosymbiotic green algae (Oophila sp.)
Oikos, v 2025(6), 10752
Jun 2025
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Symbiosis is a commonly occurring phenomenon, with most plants and animals being holobionts, comprising of a host and its corresponding symbionts. It is, however, less common to have a symbiont only under a specific life stage and even more so between a photosynthesizing organism and a vertebrate animal. One such relationship is found between the unicellular green algae Oophila amblystomatis and the North American yellow-spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum, which is so far the only known endosymbiotic relationship between an alga and a vertebrate. In this study we investigate the possible occurrence of O. amblystomatis in Fennoscandian egg clutches from the genus Rana using citizen science data. We establish that egg capsules of the common frog Rana temporaria in Sweden act as a host species for two subclades of the monophyletic genus Oophila on a microgeographical scale (< 10 km) using a phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, we investigated a possible endosymbiotic relationship between O. amblystomatis and R. temporaria embryos with fluorescence microscopy, which showed no algal invasion of frog tissue or cells in vivo. The association with a known symbiont Oophila may hold ecological importance for ontogeny, individual fitness, behavior, population dynamics and evolutionary potential of R. temporaria. However, the reciprocal benefits to both partners have not been determined for any Oophila-bearing ranid. We discuss the possible Holarctic distribution of Oophila and consider the implications of the relationship between R. temporaria and O. amblystomatis.
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Details
- Title
- Evidence of Holarctic distribution: common frog Rana temporaria eggs in Fennoscandia host photosymbiotic green algae (Oophila sp.)
- Creators
- Pontus F. Eriksson (Corresponding Author) - University of AgderRyan Kerney - Gettysburg CollegeRiver Larson-Pollock - Gettysburg CollegeElliana Vickers - Gettysburg CollegeAne Timenes Laugen - University of Agder
- Publication Details
- Oikos, v 2025(6), 10752
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 8
- Grant note
- GBMF5604 / Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF); Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation GBMF5604 / Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Grant EX2017-0006 / Oscar and Lili Lamm Memorial Foundation
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001423358500001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85219206487
- Other Identifier
- 991022197313904721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Ecology