Lipid stores reveal the state of the coral-algae symbiosis at the single-cell level

Coral reefs worldwide are threatened by environmental stress. The observable decline in coral cover, is principally due to the intensifying breakdown of the coral symbiosis, a process known as ‘bleaching’. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is considered a key driver of coral bleaching, where environmental stress leads to increased ROS expression. To explore the link between ROS damage and symbiont status, we measured lipid peroxidation (LPO), a ubiquitous form of ROS damage, in the lipid stores of individual endo- and ex-symbiotic algal cells of three coral species, using confocal microscopy and a lipid hydroperoxide sensitive fluorescent dye. We found LPO was higher in endosymbionts, while lipid volume was greater in ex-symbiotic cells. Cluster analysis revealed three metabolic profiles differentiating endosymbiotic (#1: high LPO, low lipid) and ex-symbiotic cells (#3: low LPO, high lipid), with the intermediate group (#2) containing both cell types. Heat stress caused endosymbionts of Pocillopora acuta to shift away from cluster #1, suggesting this cluster represents cells in healthy/stable symbiosis. Our study delivers a new means to assess the coral symbiosis, demonstrating that symbiont LPO ratio combined with lipid store volume is a robust metabolic marker for the state of the symbiosis at the cellular level.