scholarly journals Different nitrogen sources speed recovery from corallivory and uniquely alter the microbiome of a reef-building coral

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e8056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mallory M. Rice ◽  
Rebecca L. Maher ◽  
Rebecca Vega Thurber ◽  
Deron E. Burkepile
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Nitrogen Source ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Seawater Temperature ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Ocean Warming ◽  
Coral Growth ◽  
Coral Host ◽  
Coral Microbiome ◽  
Algal Symbiont

Corals are in decline worldwide due to local anthropogenic stressors, such as nutrient loading, and global stressors, such as ocean warming. Anthropogenic nutrient loading, which is often rich in nitrate, inhibits coral growth and worsens corals’ response to warming while natural sources of nitrogen, such as ammonium from fish excretion, promotes coral growth. Although the effects of nutrient loading and ocean warming have been well-studied, it remains unclear how these factors may interact with biotic processes, such as corallivory, to alter coral health and the coral microbiome. This study examined how nitrate vs. ammonium enrichment altered the effects of increased seawater temperature and simulated parrotfish corallivory on the health of Pocillopora meandrina and its microbial community. We tested the effects of nitrogen source on the response to corallivory under contrasting temperatures (control: 26 °C, warming: 29 °C) in a factorial mesocosm experiment in Moorea, French Polynesia. Corals were able to maintain growth rates despite simultaneous stressors. Seawater warming suppressed wound healing rates by nearly 66%. However, both ammonium and nitrate enrichment counteracted the effect of higher temperatures on would healing rates. Elevated seawater temperature and ammonium enrichment independently increased Symbiodiniaceae densities relative to controls, yet there was no effect of nitrate enrichment on algal symbiont densities. Microbiome variability increased with the addition of nitrate or ammonium. Moreover, microbial indicator analysis showed that Desulfovibrionaceae Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) are indicators of exclusively temperature stress while Rhodobacteraceae and Saprospiraceae OTUs were indicators of high temperature, wounding, and nitrogen enrichment. Overall, our results suggest that nitrogen source may not alter the response of the coral host to simultaneous stressors, but that the associated microbial community may be distinct depending on the source of enrichment.

scholarly journals Coral and Seawater Metagenomes Reveal Key Microbial Functions to Coral Health and Ecosystem Functioning Shaped at Reef Scale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laís Farias Oliveira Lima ◽  
Amanda Alker ◽  
Bhavya Papudeshi ◽  
Megan Morris ◽  
Robert Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Coral Host ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomics ◽  
Patch Reefs ◽  
Coral Microbiome ◽  
Gene Functions ◽  
Coral Health

Abstract Background The coral holobiont is comprised of a highly diverse microbial community that provides key services to corals such as protection against pathogens and nutrient cycling. The coral surface mucus layer (SML) microbiome is very sensitive to external changes and tied to ecosystem functioning, as it constitutes the direct interface between the coral host and the environment. The functional profile of microbial genes in the coral SML is underexplored and the use of shotgun metagenomics is relatively rare among coral microbiome studies. Here we investigate whether the bacterial taxonomic and functional profiles in the coral SML are shaped by the local reef zone and explore their role in coral health and ecosystem functioning. Results The analysis was conducted using metagenomes and metagenome assemble genomes (MAGs) associated with the coral Pseudodiploria strigosa and the water column from two naturally distinct reef environments in Bermuda: inner patch reefs exposed to a fluctuating thermal regime and the more stable outer reefs . Our results showed that the microbial community structure is simultaneously selected by the host medium (i.e., coral SML versus water) and the local environment (i.e., inner reefs versus outer reefs), both at taxonomic and functional levels. The coral SML microbiome from inner reefs provides more gene functions that are involved in nutrient cycling (e.g., photosynthesis, phosphorus metabolism, sulfur assimilation) and that are related to higher levels of microbial activity, competition, and stress response, such as dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) breakdown. In contrast, the coral SML microbiome from outer reefs contained genes indicative of a carbohydrate-rich mucus composition found in corals exposed to less stressful temperatures and showed high proportions of microbial gene functions that play a potential role in coral disease, such as degradation of lignin-derived compounds and sulfur oxidation. Conclusion The fluctuating environment in the inner patch reefs of Bermuda could be driving a more beneficial coral SML microbiome; potentially increasing holobiont resilience to environmental changes and disease. Our results reveal microbial taxa and functions selected at reef scale in the coral SML microbiome that can leverage disease management, microbiome engineering, and microbial eco-evolutionary theories.

scholarly journals Shifting the microbiome of a coral holobiont and improving host physiology by inoculation with a potentially beneficial bacterial consortium

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Qingsong Yang ◽  
Juan Ling ◽  
Lijuan Long ◽  
Hui Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Bacterial Community ◽  
16S Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽  
Physiological Status ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Coral Host ◽  
Pocillopora Damicornis ◽  
Coral Microbiome ◽  
Α Diversity

Abstract Background The coral microbiome plays a key role in host health by being involved in energy metabolism, nutrient cycling, and immune system formation. Inoculating coral with beneficial bacterial consortia may enhance the ability of this host to cope with complex and changing marine environments. In this study, the coral Pocillopora damicornis was inoculated with a beneficial microorganisms for corals (BMC) consortium to investigate how the coral host and its associated microbial community would respond. Results High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed no significant differences in bacterial community α-diversity. However, the bacterial community structure differed significantly between the BMC and placebo groups at the end of the experiment. Addition of the BMC consortium significantly increased the relative abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria, including the genera Mameliella and Endozoicomonas. Energy reserves and calcification rates of the coral host were also improved by the addition of the BMC consortium. Co-occurrence network analysis indicated that inoculation of coral with the exogenous BMC consortium improved the physiological status of the host by shifting the coral-associated microbial community structure. Conclusions Manipulating the coral-associated microbial community may enhance the physiology of coral in normal aquarium conditions (no stress applied), which may hypothetically contribute to resilience and resistance in this host.

scholarly journals Local versus site-level effects of algae on coral microbial communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 210035
Author(s):  
Amy A. Briggs ◽  
Anya L. Brown ◽  
Craig W. Osenberg
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Antagonistic Effects ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Macroalgal Cover ◽  
Coral Microbiome ◽  
Turf Algae

Microbes influence ecological processes, including the dynamics and health of macro-organisms and their interactions with other species. In coral reefs, microbes mediate negative effects of algae on corals when corals are in contact with algae. However, it is unknown whether these effects extend to larger spatial scales, such as at sites with high algal densities. We investigated how local algal contact and site-level macroalgal cover influenced coral microbial communities in a field study at two islands in French Polynesia, Mo'orea and Mangareva. At 5 sites at each island, we sampled prokaryotic microbial communities (microbiomes) associated with corals, macroalgae, turf algae and water, with coral samples taken from individuals that were isolated from or in contact with turf or macroalgae. Algal contact and macroalgal cover had antagonistic effects on coral microbiome alpha and beta diversity. Additionally, coral microbiomes shifted and became more similar to macroalgal microbiomes at sites with high macroalgal cover and with algal contact, although the microbial taxa that changed varied by island. Our results indicate that coral microbiomes can be affected by algae outside of the coral's immediate vicinity, and local- and site-level effects of algae can obscure each other's effects when both scales are not considered.

scholarly journals Differential Responses of the Coral Host and Their Algal Symbiont to Thermal Stress

PLoS ONE ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. e26687 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Leggat ◽  
Francois Seneca ◽  
Kenneth Wasmund ◽  
Lubna Ukani ◽  
David Yellowlees ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Coral Host ◽  
Algal Symbiont ◽  
Differential Responses

scholarly journals Microbial Community Composition and Denitrifying Enzyme Activities in Salt Marsh Sediments

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (24) ◽  
pp. 7585-7595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiping Cao ◽  
Peter G. Green ◽  
Patricia A. Holden
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Carbon Content ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Marsh Sediments ◽  
Salt Marsh Sediments ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACT Denitrifying microbial communities and denitrification in salt marsh sediments may be affected by many factors, including environmental conditions, nutrient availability, and levels of pollutants. The objective of this study was to examine how microbial community composition and denitrification enzyme activities (DEA) at a California salt marsh with high nutrient loading vary with such factors. Sediments were sampled from three elevations, each with different inundation and vegetation patterns, across 12 stations representing various salinity and nutrient conditions. Analyses included determination of cell abundance, total and denitrifier community compositions (by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism), DEA, nutrients, and eluted metals. Total bacterial (16S rRNA) and denitrifier (nirS) community compositions and DEA were analyzed for their relationships to environmental variables and metal concentrations via multivariate direct gradient and regression analyses, respectively. Community composition and DEA were highly variable within the dynamic salt marsh system, but each was strongly affected by elevation (i.e., degree of inundation) and carbon content as well as by selected metals. Carbon content was highly related to elevation, and the relationships between DEA and carbon content were found to be elevation specific when evaluated across the entire marsh. There were also lateral gradients in the marsh, as evidenced by an even stronger association between community composition and elevation for a marsh subsystem. Lastly, though correlated with similar environmental factors and selected metals, denitrifier community composition and function appeared uncoupled in the marsh.

scholarly journals Microbial Community Structure, Pigment Composition, and Nitrogen Source of Red Snow in Antarctica

2009 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 466-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masanori Fujii ◽  
Yoshinori Takano ◽  
Hisaya Kojima ◽  
Tamotsu Hoshino ◽  
Ryouichi Tanaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Nitrogen Source ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Pigment Composition

scholarly journals Impacts of near‑future ocean warming on microbial community composition of the stomach of the soft‑bottom sea star Luidia clathrata (Say) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle D Curtis ◽  
Casey D Morrow ◽  
James B McClintock
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Seawater Temperature ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Experimental Temperature ◽  
Sea Star ◽  
Soft Bottom ◽  
Cardiac Stomach ◽  
Luidia Clathrata ◽  
The Impact

Abstract There is growing evidence that environmental changes caused by climate change can impact the microbiome of marine invertebrates. Such changes can have important implications for the overall health of the host. In the present study we investigated the impact of chronic exposure to an ambient (28°C) and a predicted mid- (30°C) and end-of-century (32°C) seawater temperature on microbiome modification in tissues of the cardiac stomach of the abundant predatory sea star Luidia clathrata collected in September 2018 from Apalachee Bay, Florida (29°58’N, 84°19’W) in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Diversity (Shannon index) was lowest among the microbial community of stomach tissue when compared to the microbiome of the artificial sea star feed, and aquarium sand and seawater across all three experimental temperature treatments. Moreover, the stomach microbial community composition was distinct between each of the four sample types. Exposure to the highest experimental temperature treatment (32°C) resulted in a significant modification of the composition of the microbial community in stomach and sand samples, but not in seawater samples when compared to those from the current mean ambient GOM temperature (28°C). Importantly, at the most elevated temperature the stomach microbiome shifted from a Vibrio sp. dominated community to a more diverse community with higher proportions of additional taxa including Delftia sp. and Pseudomonas sp. This microbiome shift could impact the digestive functionality and ultimately the health of L. clathrata, a key soft-bottom predator in the northern GOM.

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