Environmental reservoirs of zooxanthellae are essential for coral larvae settlement; understanding where they occur and how they are maintained is important for coral reef ecology. This study investigated the dispersal of
Symbiodinium
spp. by the stoplight parrotfish
Sparisoma viride
, which had high mean densities of viable and cultivable
Symbiodinium
(3207–8900 cells ml
−1
) in faeces. Clades A, B and G were detected using amplified chloroplast ribosomal sequences (cp23S-HVR), and corresponded with diet preferences of fish and the environmental
Symbiodinium
diversity of the region. Cells are constantly dispersed in the water column and deposited in the substrate at a local level (86 ± 17.8 m
2
), demonstrating that parrotfishes are vectors for short-distance dispersal of zooxanthellae. Such dispersal could constitute a key role in the maintenance of environmental
Symbiodinium
reservoirs.
Coral reef ecology in the Anthropocene
