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Liu M, Yin F, Zhao W, Tian P, Zhou Y, Jia Z, Huang K, Ding Y, Xiao J, Niu W, Wang X. Diversity of Culturable Bacteria from the Coral Reef Areas in the South China Sea and Their Agar-Degrading Abilities. Microorganisms 2024; 12:187. [PMID: 38258013 PMCID: PMC10818321 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12010187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The South China Sea (SCS) is abundant in marine microbial resources with high primary productivity, which is crucial for sustaining the coral reef ecosystem and the carbon cycle. Currently, research on the diversity of culturable bacteria in the SCS is relatively extensive, yet the culturable bacteria in coral reefs has been poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the bacterial community structure of seawater samples among Daya Bay (Fujian Province), Qionghai (Hainan Province), Xisha Islands, and the southern South China Sea based on culturable methods and detected their abilities for agar degradation. There were 441 bacterial strains, belonging to three phyla, five classes, 43 genera, and 101 species, which were isolated by marine agar 2216E (MA; Becton Dickinson). Strains within Gammaproteobacteria were the dominant group, accounting for 89.6% of the total bacterial isolates. To investigate vibrios, which usually correlated with coral health, 348 isolates were obtained from TCBS agar, and all isolates were identified into three phylum, three classes, 14 orders, 25 families, and 48 genera. Strains belonging to the genus Vibrio had the greatest number (294 strains), indicating the high selectivity of TCBS agar for vibrios. Furthermore, nineteen strains were identified as potentially novel species according to the low 16S rRNA gene similarity (<98.65%), and 28 strains (15 species) had agar-degrading ability. These results indicate a high diversity of culturable bacteria in the SCS and a huge possibility to find novel and agar-degrading species. Our study provides valuable microbial resources to maintain the stability of coral ecosystems and investigate their roles in the marine carbon cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; (M.L.); (F.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.H.); (Y.D.)
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Fu Yin
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; (M.L.); (F.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.H.); (Y.D.)
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Wenbin Zhao
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; (M.L.); (F.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.H.); (Y.D.)
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Peng Tian
- Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity Research, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 178 Daxue Road, Xiamen 361005, China; (P.T.); (Z.J.); (J.X.)
- Nansha Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Guangzhou 510300, China
| | - Yi Zhou
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; (M.L.); (F.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.H.); (Y.D.)
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Zhiyu Jia
- Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity Research, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 178 Daxue Road, Xiamen 361005, China; (P.T.); (Z.J.); (J.X.)
- Nansha Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Guangzhou 510300, China
| | - Keyi Huang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; (M.L.); (F.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.H.); (Y.D.)
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Yunqi Ding
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; (M.L.); (F.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.H.); (Y.D.)
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Jiaguang Xiao
- Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity Research, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 178 Daxue Road, Xiamen 361005, China; (P.T.); (Z.J.); (J.X.)
- Nansha Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Guangzhou 510300, China
| | - Wentao Niu
- Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity Research, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 178 Daxue Road, Xiamen 361005, China; (P.T.); (Z.J.); (J.X.)
- Nansha Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Guangzhou 510300, China
| | - Xiaolei Wang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; (M.L.); (F.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.H.); (Y.D.)
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266071, China
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Chan YF, Chen YH, Yu SP, Chen HJ, Nozawa Y, Tang SL. Reciprocal transplant experiment reveals multiple factors influencing changes in coral microbial communities across climate zones. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 907:167929. [PMID: 37863230 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated the influence of external factors (environmental factors and the coral host factors) on the community structure of coral-associated bacteria. However, the internal factors, e.g. the interaction within the bacterial community or bacteria itself, have often been overlooked in studies of the coral microbiome. Hence, we performed a reciprocal transplant of corals between two different climate zones to examine the resultant alterations in coral-associated bacterial communities. The findings highlight the significance of environmental factors, host selection, and highly resilient bacteria in shaping the coral microbial composition. The results support that coral species consistently harbor specific predominant bacterial groups influenced by host selection, while locations display unique bacterial taxa due to environmental variations. The transplantation of corals into new environments leads to a gradual shift in the bacterial community, from initially resembling that of the native location to eventually resembling that of the transplanted location, emphasizing the crucial role of bacterial community composition for coral survival under changing ambient conditions. Furthermore, highly resilient bacteria that persisted throughout the reciprocal transplant experiment demonstrated their adaptability to environmental and host changes, suggesting the presence of robust adaptation or resistance mechanisms in bacterial communities. Genetic adaptations within the prevalent bacterial group, Endozoicomonas, were also observed, suggesting variations in resilience and adaptation capabilities among different phylotypes. This study highlights the need to conduct further investigations into the coral-associated bacteria themselves, as they may hold some key insights into understanding the dynamics of coral-associated microbial communities. These data also highlight some key species of coral-associated bacteria which could benefit coral in response to alterations in ambient environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Fan Chan
- Department of Microbiology, Soochow University, Taipei 111, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsiang Chen
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Ping Yu
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Hsing-Ju Chen
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Yoko Nozawa
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Sen-Lin Tang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan; Taiwan's Ocean Genome Center, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan.
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Wang X, Li Y, Lin M, Su Z, Liu X, Yu K. Variations in the coral community at the high-latitude Bailong Peninsula, northern South China Sea. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:274-286. [PMID: 35900625 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-21881-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
High-latitude coral communities have attracted much attention due to their potential as refuges during global climate change. However, this function is being constrained by the combined pressure of global climate and anthropogenic activities. To determine how the reef has developed, we conducted a long-term monitoring study on coral communities along the Bailong Peninsula in the northern South China Sea. The results showed that the distribution area of corals was 3.67 km2 and that corals extended about 4.7 km along the coastline. The coral distribution pattern is scattered and uneven. Our results showed that the growth of reef-building corals and coral recruitment are improving, indicating that coral recruitment plays an important role in regulating the structure of adult coral populations and promoting the development of coral communities. Bailong Peninsula is expected to become a refuge for corals provided that human activities impacting coral restoration potential are controlled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
- Guangxi Key Lab of Mangrove Conservation and Utilization, Guangxi Mangrove Research Center of Guangxi Sciences Academy, Beihai, 536000, China
- Forestry College of Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Yinqiang Li
- School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Mingqing Lin
- Guangxi Key Lab of Mangrove Conservation and Utilization, Guangxi Mangrove Research Center of Guangxi Sciences Academy, Beihai, 536000, China
| | - Zhinan Su
- Guangxi Key Lab of Mangrove Conservation and Utilization, Guangxi Mangrove Research Center of Guangxi Sciences Academy, Beihai, 536000, China
| | - Xiong Liu
- Sea Area Use Dynamic Supervision Center, Fangchenggang, 53800, China
| | - Kefu Yu
- School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China.
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