1
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Clements CS, Pratte ZA, Stewart FJ, Hay ME. Biodiversity of macroalgae does not differentially suppress coral performance: The other side of a biodiversity issue. Ecology 2024; 105:e4329. [PMID: 38772876 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Hundreds of studies now document positive relationships between biodiversity and critical ecosystem processes, but as ecological communities worldwide shift toward new species configurations, less is known regarding how the biodiversity of undesirable species will shape the functioning of ecosystems or foundation species. We manipulated macroalgal species richness in experimental field plots to test whether and how the identity and diversity of competing macroalgae affected the growth, survival, and microbiome of a common coral in Mo'orea, French Polynesia. Compared to controls without algal competitors, coral growth was significantly suppressed across three macroalgal monocultures, a polyculture of the same three macroalgae, and plots containing inert seaweed mimics; coral mortality was limited and did not differ significantly among treatments. One macroalga suppressed coral growth significantly less than the other two, but none differed from the inert mimic in terms of coral suppression. The composition, dispersion, and diversity of coral microbiomes in treatments with live macroalgae or inert plastic mimics did not differ from controls experiencing no competition. Microbiome composition differed between two macroalgal monocultures and a monoculture versus plastic mimics, but no other microbiome differences were observed among macroalgal or mimic treatments. Together, these findings suggest that algal diversity does not alter harmful impacts of macroalgae on coral performance, which could be accounted for by physical structure alone in these field experiments. While enhancing biodiversity is a recognized strategy for promoting desirable species, it would be worrisome if biodiversity also enhanced the negative impacts of undesirable species. We documented no such effects in this investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody S Clements
- School of Biological Sciences and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Zoe A Pratte
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Frank J Stewart
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Mark E Hay
- School of Biological Sciences and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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2
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Pozas-Schacre C, Bischoff H, Clerissi C, Nugues MM. Negative parental and offspring environmental effects of macroalgae on coral recruitment are linked with alterations in the coral larval microbiome. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240187. [PMID: 39050726 PMCID: PMC11267239 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
The persistence of reef-building corals is threatened by macroalgal competitors leading to a major demographic bottleneck in coral recruitment. Whether parental effects exist under coral-algal competition and whether they influence offspring performance via microbiome alterations represent major gaps in our understanding of the mechanisms by which macroalgae may hinder coral recovery. We investigated the diversity, variability and composition of the microbiome of adults and larvae of the coral Pocillopora acuta and surrounding benthic substrate on algal-removed and algal-dominated bommies. We then assessed the relative influence of parental and offspring environmental effects on coral recruitment processes by reciprocally exposing coral larvae from two parental origins (algal-removed and algal-dominated bommies) to algal-removed and algal-dominated environmental conditions. Dense macroalgal assemblages impacted the microbiome composition of coral larvae. Larvae produced by parents from algal-dominated bommies were depleted in putative beneficial bacteria and enriched in opportunistic taxa. These larvae had a significantly lower survival compared to larvae from algal-removed bommies regardless of environmental conditions. In contrast, algal-induced parental and offspring environmental effects interacted to reduce the survival of coral recruits. Together our results demonstrate negative algal-induced parental and offspring environmental effects on coral recruitment that could be mediated by alterations in the offspring microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Pozas-Schacre
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, UAR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
| | - Hugo Bischoff
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, UAR 3278 CRIOBE BP 1013, 98729 Papetoai, Mo'orea, French Polynesia
| | - Camille Clerissi
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, UAR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Perpignan, France
| | - Maggy M. Nugues
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, UAR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Perpignan, France
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3
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Artana C, Capitani L, Santos Garcia G, Angelini R, Coll M. Food web trophic control modulates tropical Atlantic reef ecosystems response to marine heat wave intensity and duration. J Anim Ecol 2024. [PMID: 38790092 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14107] [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: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are episodes of anomalous warming in the ocean that can last from a few days to years. MHWs have different characteristics in terms of intensity, duration and frequency and generate thermal stress in marine ecosystems. In reef ecosystems, they are one of the main causes of the decreased presence and abundance of corals, invertebrates and fish. The deleterious capacity of thermal stress often depends on biotic factors, such as the trophic control of predators on prey. Despite the evidence of thermal stress and biotic factors affecting individual species, the combined effects of both stressors on entire reef ecosystems are much less studied. Here, using a food web modelling approach, we estimated the rate of change in species' biomass due to different MHW characteristics. Specifically, we modelled the mechanistic link between species' consumption rate and seawater temperature (thermal stressor), simulating species' biomass dynamics for different MHW characteristics under different trophic control assumptions (top-down, mixed trophic control and bottom-up). We find that total reef ecosystem biomass declined by 10% ± 5% under MHWs with severe intensity and a top-down control assumption. The bottom-up control assumption moderates the total ecosystem biomass reduction by 5% ± 5%. Irrespective of the MHW characteristics and the trophic control assumption, the most substantial biomass changes occur among top, mesopredators and corals (5% to 20% ± 10%). We show that reef ecosystems where predators exert top-down control on prey are prone to suffer species abundance declines under strong MHW events. We identify food web trophic control as a crucial driver that modulates the impacts of MHWs. Overall, our results provide a unified understanding of the interplay between abiotic stressors and biotic factors in reef ecosystems under extreme thermal events, offering insights into present baselines and future ecological states for reef ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Artana
- Institute of Marine Science (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Laboratoire LOCEAN-IPSL, Sorbonne Université (UPMC, Université Paris 6), CNRS, IRD, MNHN, Paris, France
| | - Leonardo Capitani
- Post-Graduate Program in Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Brazil
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Gabriel Santos Garcia
- Post-Graduate Program in Ecology, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ronaldo Angelini
- Departamento de Engenharia Civil e Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Brazil
| | - Marta Coll
- Institute of Marine Science (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Ecopath International Initiative (EII), Barcelona, Spain
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4
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Segaran TC, Azra MN, Mohd Noor MI, Danish-Daniel M, Burlakovs J, Lananan F, Xu J, Kari ZA, Wei LS. Knowledge mapping analysis of the global seaweed research using CiteSpace. Heliyon 2024; 10:e28418. [PMID: 38560172 PMCID: PMC10981124 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Seaweed research has gained substantial momentum in recent years, attracting the attention of researchers, academic institutions, industries, policymakers, and philanthropists to explore its potential applications and benefits. Despite the growing body of literature, there is a paucity of comprehensive scientometric analyses, highlighting the need for an in-depth investigation. In this study, we utilized CiteSpace to examine the global seaweed research landscape through the Web of Science Core Collection database, assessing publication trends, collaboration patterns, network structures, and co-citation analyses across 48,278 original works published since 1975. Our results demonstrate a diverse and active research community, with a multitude of authors and journals contributing to the advancement of seaweed science. Thematic co-citation cluster analysis identified three primary research areas: "Coral reef," "Solar radiation," and "Mycosporine-like amino acid," emphasizing the multidisciplinary nature of seaweed research. The increasing prominence of "Chemical composition" and "Antioxidant" keywords indicates a burgeoning interest in characterizing the nutritional value and health-promoting properties of seaweed. Timeline co-citation analysis unveils that recent research priorities have emerged around the themes of coral reefs, ocean acidification, and antioxidants, underlining the evolving focus and interdisciplinary approach of the field. Moreover, our analysis highlights the potential of seaweed as a functional food product, poised to contribute significantly to addressing global food security and sustainability challenges. This study underscores the importance of bibliometric analysis in elucidating the global seaweed research landscape and emphasizes the need for sustained knowledge exchange and collaboration to drive the field forward. By revealing key findings and emerging trends, our research offers valuable insights for academics and stakeholders, fostering a more profound understanding of seaweed's potential and informing future research endeavors in this promising domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thirukanthan Chandra Segaran
- Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus, 21030, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Mohamad Nor Azra
- Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus, 21030, Terengganu, Malaysia
- Research Center for Marine and Land Bioindustry, Earth Sciences and Maritime Organization, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Pemenang, 83352, Indonesia
| | - Mohd Iqbal Mohd Noor
- Faculty of Business Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) (Pahang), 27600, Raub, Pahang, Malaysia
- Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Muhd Danish-Daniel
- Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus, 21030, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Juris Burlakovs
- Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
| | - Fathurrahman Lananan
- Faculty of Bioresources and Food Industry, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, 22200 Besut, Terengganu, 21300, Malaysia
| | - Juntian Xu
- School of Marine Science and Fisheries, Jiangsu Ocean University, No. 59 Cangwu Road, Haizhou District, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zulhisyam Abdul Kari
- Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agro-Based Industry, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, 17600, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Lee Seong Wei
- Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agro-Based Industry, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, 17600, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
- Tropical Rainforest Research Centre (TRaCe), Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Pulau Banding, 33300, Gerik, Perak, Malaysia
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5
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Becker CC, Weber L, Llopiz JK, Mooney TA, Apprill A. Microorganisms uniquely capture and predict stony coral tissue loss disease and hurricane disturbance impacts on US Virgin Island reefs. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16610. [PMID: 38576217 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Coral reef ecosystems are now commonly affected by major climate and disease disturbances. Disturbance impacts are typically recorded using reef benthic cover, but this may be less reflective of other ecosystem processes. To explore the potential for reef water-based disturbance indicators, we conducted a 7-year time series on US Virgin Island reefs where we examined benthic cover and reef water nutrients and microorganisms from 2016 to 2022, which included two major disturbances: hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and the stony coral tissue loss disease outbreak starting in 2020. The disease outbreak coincided with the largest changes in the benthic habitat, with increases in the percent cover of turf algae and Ramicrusta, an invasive alga. While sampling timepoint contributed most to changes in reef water nutrient composition and microbial community beta diversity, both disturbances led to increases in ammonium concentration, a mechanism likely contributing to observed microbial community shifts. We identified 10 microbial taxa that were sensitive and predictive of increasing ammonium concentration. This included the decline of the oligotrophic and photoautotrophic Prochlorococcus and the enrichment of heterotrophic taxa. As disturbances impact reefs, the changing nutrient and microbial regimes may foster a type of microbialization, a process that hastens reef degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia C Becker
- MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, Cambridge and Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Laura Weber
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joel K Llopiz
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - T Aran Mooney
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amy Apprill
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
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6
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Clements CS, Pratte ZA, Stewart FJ, Hay ME. Removal of detritivore sea cucumbers from reefs increases coral disease. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1338. [PMID: 38409274 PMCID: PMC10897328 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45730-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are in global decline with coral diseases playing a significant role. This is especially true for Acroporid corals that represent ~25% of all Pacific coral species and generate much of the topographic complexity supporting reef biodiversity. Coral diseases are commonly sediment-associated and could be exacerbated by overharvest of sea cucumber detritivores that clean reef sediments and may suppress microbial pathogens as they feed. Here we show, via field manipulations in both French Polynesia and Palmyra Atoll, that historically overharvested sea cucumbers strongly suppress disease among corals in contact with benthic sediments. Sea cucumber removal increased tissue mortality of Acropora pulchra by ~370% and colony mortality by ~1500%. Additionally, farmerfish that kill Acropora pulchra bases to culture their algal gardens further suppress disease by separating corals from contact with the disease-causing sediment-functioning as mutualists rather than parasites despite killing coral bases. Historic overharvesting of sea cucumbers increases coral disease and threatens the persistence of tropical reefs. Enhancing sea cucumbers may enhance reef resilience by suppressing disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody S Clements
- School of Biological Sciences and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Zoe A Pratte
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Frank J Stewart
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Mark E Hay
- School of Biological Sciences and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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7
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Sparagon WJ, Arts MGI, Quinlan ZA, Wegley Kelly L, Koester I, Comstock J, Bullington JA, Carlson CA, Dorrestein PC, Aluwihare LI, Haas AF, Nelson CE. Coral thermal stress and bleaching enrich and restructure reef microbial communities via altered organic matter exudation. Commun Biol 2024; 7:160. [PMID: 38351328 PMCID: PMC10864316 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05730-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Coral bleaching is a well-documented and increasingly widespread phenomenon in reefs across the globe, yet there has been relatively little research on the implications for reef water column microbiology and biogeochemistry. A mesocosm heating experiment and bottle incubation compared how unbleached and bleached corals alter dissolved organic matter (DOM) exudation in response to thermal stress and subsequent effects on microbial growth and community structure in the water column. Thermal stress of healthy corals tripled DOM flux relative to ambient corals. DOM exudates from stressed corals (heated and/or previously bleached) were compositionally distinct from healthy corals and significantly increased growth of bacterioplankton, enriching copiotrophs and putative pathogens. Together these results demonstrate how the impacts of both short-term thermal stress and long-term bleaching may extend into the water column, with altered coral DOM exudation driving microbial feedbacks that influence how coral reefs respond to and recover from mass bleaching events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley J Sparagon
- Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, Department of Oceanography and Sea Grant College Program, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA.
| | - Milou G I Arts
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Zachary A Quinlan
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
- San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
| | - Linda Wegley Kelly
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
- San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
| | - Irina Koester
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Jacqueline Comstock
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, The Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, USA
| | - Jessica A Bullington
- Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, Department of Oceanography and Sea Grant College Program, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
| | - Craig A Carlson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, The Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, USA
| | | | - Lihini I Aluwihare
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Andreas F Haas
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Texel, The Netherlands
- San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
| | - Craig E Nelson
- Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, Department of Oceanography and Sea Grant College Program, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
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8
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Terzin M, Laffy PW, Robbins S, Yeoh YK, Frade PR, Glasl B, Webster NS, Bourne DG. The road forward to incorporate seawater microbes in predictive reef monitoring. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2024; 19:5. [PMID: 38225668 PMCID: PMC10790441 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00543-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Marine bacterioplankton underpin the health and function of coral reefs and respond in a rapid and sensitive manner to environmental changes that affect reef ecosystem stability. Numerous meta-omics surveys over recent years have documented persistent associations of opportunistic seawater microbial taxa, and their associated functions, with metrics of environmental stress and poor reef health (e.g. elevated temperature, nutrient loads and macroalgae cover). Through positive feedback mechanisms, disturbance-triggered heterotrophic activity of seawater microbes is hypothesised to drive keystone benthic organisms towards the limit of their resilience and translate into shifts in biogeochemical cycles which influence marine food webs, ultimately affecting entire reef ecosystems. However, despite nearly two decades of work in this space, a major limitation to using seawater microbes in reef monitoring is a lack of a unified and focused approach that would move beyond the indicator discovery phase and towards the development of rapid microbial indicator assays for (near) real-time reef management and decision-making. By reviewing the current state of knowledge, we provide a comprehensive framework (defined as five phases of research and innovation) to catalyse a shift from fundamental to applied research, allowing us to move from descriptive to predictive reef monitoring, and from reactive to proactive reef management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Terzin
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB no3 Townsville MC, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia.
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.
- AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.
| | - Patrick W Laffy
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB no3 Townsville MC, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia
- AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Steven Robbins
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Yun Kit Yeoh
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB no3 Townsville MC, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia
- AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Pedro R Frade
- Natural History Museum Vienna, 1010, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bettina Glasl
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nicole S Webster
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB no3 Townsville MC, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Australian Antarctic Program, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Kingston, TAS, 7050, Australia
| | - David G Bourne
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB no3 Townsville MC, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia.
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.
- AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.
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Zhang X, Xu J, Dai J, Zhang L, Feng L, Tian X, Yang Q. Taxonomic, Phylogenomic and Bioactivity Profiling of Novel Phycosphere Bacterium from Model Cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Mar Drugs 2024; 22:36. [PMID: 38248661 PMCID: PMC10817584 DOI: 10.3390/md22010036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Phycosphere niches host rich microbial consortia that harbor dynamic algae-bacteria interactions with fundamental significance in varied natural ecosystems. Hence, culturing the uncultured microbial majority of the phycosphere microbiota is vital for deep understanding of the intricate mechanisms governing the dynamic interactions, and also to provide novel and rich microbial resources, and to discover new natural bioactive metabolites. Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 is a robust model cyanobacterium widely used in environment, synthesis biology, and biotechnology research. To expand the number of novel phycosphere species that were brought into culture and to discover the natural bioactivities, we presented a new yellow-pigmented bacterium named ABI-127-1, which was recovered from the phycosphere of PCC 7942, using an optimized bacterial isolation procedure. Combined polyphasic taxonomic and phylogenomic characterization was performed to confidently identify the new isolate as a potential novel species belonging to the genus Qipengyuania. The observed bioactivity of strain ABI-127-1 with promoting potential towards the growth and CO2 fixation efficiency of the host microalgae was measured. Additionally, the bacterial production of active bioflocculant exopolysaccharides was evaluated after culture optimization. Thus, these findings revealed the potential environmental and biotechnological implications of this new microalgae growth-promoting bacterium isolated from the phycosphere microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoling Zhang
- Department of Marine Chemistry, College of Marine Science and Technology, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), National “111” Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, College of Bioengineering, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
- ABI Group, Laboratory of Phycosphere Microbiology, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316021, China
| | - Jiaquan Xu
- Department of Marine Chemistry, College of Marine Science and Technology, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Control, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
- Donghai Laboratory, Zhoushan 316022, China
| | - Jun Dai
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), National “111” Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, College of Bioengineering, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Control, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
| | - Lijuan Feng
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Control, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
| | - Xiaoqing Tian
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Qiao Yang
- ABI Group, Laboratory of Phycosphere Microbiology, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316021, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Control, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
- Donghai Laboratory, Zhoushan 316022, China
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
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10
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Elsherbini J, Corzett C, Ravaglioli C, Tamburello L, Polz M, Bulleri F. Epilithic Bacterial Assemblages on Subtidal Rocky Reefs: Variation Among Alternative Habitats at Ambient and Enhanced Nutrient Levels. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 86:1552-1564. [PMID: 36790500 PMCID: PMC10497455 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02174-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Temperate rocky reefs often support mosaics of alternative habitats such as macroalgal forests, algal turfs and sea urchin barrens. Although the composition of epilithic microbial biofilms (EMBs) is recognized as a major determinant of macroalgal recruitment, their role in regulating the stability of alternative habitats on temperate rocky reefs remains unexplored. On shallow rocky reefs of the Island of Capraia (NW Mediterranean), we compared EMB structure among canopy stands formed by the fucoid Ericaria brachycarpa, algal turfs, and urchin barrens under ambient versus experimentally enhanced nutrient levels. The three habitats shared a core microbial community consisting of 21.6 and 25.3% of total ASVs under ambient and enhanced nutrient conditions, respectively. Although Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Flavobacteriia were the most abundant classes across habitats, multivariate analyses at the ASV level showed marked differences in EMB composition among habitats. Enhancing nutrient level had no significant effect on EMBs, although it increased their similarity between macroalgal canopy and turf habitats. At both ambient and enriched nutrient levels, ASVs mostly belonging to Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were more abundant in EMBs from macroalgal canopies than barrens. In contrast, ASVs belonging to the phylum of Proteobacteria and, in particular, to the families of Rhodobacteraceae and Flavobacteriaceae at ambient nutrient levels and of Rhodobacteraceae and Bacteriovoracaceae at enhanced nutrient levels were more abundant in turf than canopy habitats. Our results show that primary surfaces from alternative habitats that form mosaics on shallow rocky reefs in oligotrophic areas host distinct microbial communities that are, to some extent, resistant to moderate nutrient enhancement. Understanding the role of EMBs in generating reinforcing feedback under different nutrient loading regimes appears crucial to advance our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the stability of habitats alternative to macroalgal forests as well as their role in regulating reverse shifts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Elsherbini
- MIT Microbiology Graduate Program, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Christopher Corzett
- Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Chiara Ravaglioli
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Laura Tamburello
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Ischia Marine Centre, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80077, Punta San Pietro, Ischia, (Naples), Italy
| | - Martin Polz
- MIT Microbiology Graduate Program, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Djerassiplatz 1, 1130, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fabio Bulleri
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
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11
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Barrows AR, Hancock JR, Cohen DL, Gorong P, Lewis M, Louie S, Musselman L, Caruso C, Miller S, Drury C. Enhancing survivorship and growth of juvenile Montipora capitata using the Hawaiian collector urchin Tripneustes gratilla. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16113. [PMID: 37790625 PMCID: PMC10542273 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The biodiversity of coral reef habitats is rapidly declining due to the effects of anthropogenic climate change, prompting the use of active restoration as a mitigation strategy. Sexual propagation can maintain or enhance genetic diversity in restoration of these ecosystems, but these approaches suffer from a range of inefficiencies in rearing and husbandry. Algal overgrowth of juveniles is a major bottleneck in the production of sexually propagated corals that may be alleviated by co-culture with herbivores. We reared juvenile Montipora capitata alongside juvenile native Hawaiian collector urchins, Tripneustes gratilla, for 15 weeks and documented significant ecological benefits of co-culture. Urchin treatments significantly increased the survivorship of coral aggregates (14%) and individual settlers (24%). We also documented a significant increase in coral growth in the presence of urchins. These results demonstrate the utility of microherbivory in promoting coral growth and survivorship in ex situ conditions, providing valuable insight for restoration pipelines of native Hawaiian coral species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R. Barrows
- Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i, Kāne‘ohe, HI, United States
| | - Joshua R. Hancock
- Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i, Kāne‘ohe, HI, United States
| | - David L. Cohen
- Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States
| | - Patrick Gorong
- Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States
| | - Matthew Lewis
- Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States
| | - Sean Louie
- Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States
| | - Lani Musselman
- Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States
| | - Carlo Caruso
- Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i, Kāne‘ohe, HI, United States
| | - Spencer Miller
- Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i, Kāne‘ohe, HI, United States
| | - Crawford Drury
- Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i, Kāne‘ohe, HI, United States
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12
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Fong J, Tang PPY, Deignan LK, Seah JCL, McDougald D, Rice SA, Todd PA. Chemically Mediated Interactions with Macroalgae Negatively Affect Coral Health but Induce Limited Changes in Coral Microbiomes. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2261. [PMID: 37764105 PMCID: PMC10535309 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11092261] [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: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Allelopathic chemicals facilitated by the direct contact of macroalgae with corals are potentially an important mechanism mediating coral-macroalgal interactions, but only a few studies have explored their impacts on coral health and microbiomes and the coral's ability to recover. We conducted a field experiment on an equatorial urbanized reef to assess the allelopathic effects of four macroalgal species (Bryopsis sp., Endosiphonia horrida, Hypnea pannosa and Lobophora challengeriae) on the health and microbiomes of three coral species (Merulina ampliata, Montipora stellata and Pocillopora acuta). Following 24 h of exposure, crude extracts of all four macroalgal species caused significant coral tissue bleaching and reduction in effective quantum yield. The corals were able to recover within 72 h of the removal of extracts, except those that were exposed to L. challengeriae. While some macroalgal extracts caused an increase in the alpha diversity of coral microbiomes, there were no significant differences in the composition and variability of coral microbiomes between controls and macroalgal extracts at each sampling time point. Nevertheless, DESeq2 differential abundance analyses showed species-specific responses of coral microbiomes. Overall, our findings provide insights on the limited effect of chemically mediated interactions with macroalgae on coral microbiomes and the capacity of corals to recover quickly from the macroalgal chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Fong
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore; (J.C.L.S.); (P.A.T.)
| | - Peggy P. Y. Tang
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; (P.P.Y.T.); (L.K.D.); (D.M.); (S.A.R.)
| | - Lindsey K. Deignan
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; (P.P.Y.T.); (L.K.D.); (D.M.); (S.A.R.)
| | - Jovena C. L. Seah
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore; (J.C.L.S.); (P.A.T.)
| | - Diane McDougald
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; (P.P.Y.T.); (L.K.D.); (D.M.); (S.A.R.)
- Australian Institute for Microbiology & Infection, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Scott A. Rice
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; (P.P.Y.T.); (L.K.D.); (D.M.); (S.A.R.)
| | - Peter A. Todd
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore; (J.C.L.S.); (P.A.T.)
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13
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Silveira CB, Luque A, Haas AF, Roach TNF, George EE, Knowles B, Little M, Sullivan CJ, Varona NS, Wegley Kelly L, Brainard R, Rohwer F, Bailey B. Viral predation pressure on coral reefs. BMC Biol 2023; 21:77. [PMID: 37038111 PMCID: PMC10088212 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01571-9] [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: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predation pressure and herbivory exert cascading effects on coral reef health and stability. However, the extent of these cascading effects can vary considerably across space and time. This variability is likely a result of the complex interactions between coral reefs' biotic and abiotic dimensions. A major biological component that has been poorly integrated into the reefs' trophic studies is the microbial community, despite its role in coral death and bleaching susceptibility. Viruses that infect bacteria can control microbial densities and may positively affect coral health by controlling microbialization. We hypothesize that viral predation of bacteria has analogous effects to the top-down pressure of macroorganisms on the trophic structure and reef health. RESULTS Here, we investigated the relationships between live coral cover and viruses, bacteria, benthic algae, fish biomass, and water chemistry in 110 reefs spanning inhabited and uninhabited islands and atolls across the Pacific Ocean. Statistical learning showed that the abundance of turf algae, viruses, and bacteria, in that order, were the variables best predicting the variance in coral cover. While fish biomass was not a strong predictor of coral cover, the relationship between fish and corals became apparent when analyzed in the context of viral predation: high coral cover (> 50%) occurred on reefs with a combination of high predator fish biomass (sum of sharks and piscivores > 200 g m-2) and high virus-to-bacteria ratios (> 10), an indicator of viral predation pressure. However, these relationships were non-linear, with reefs at the higher and lower ends of the coral cover continuum displaying a narrow combination of abiotic and biotic variables, while reefs at intermediate coral cover showed a wider range of parameter combinations. CONCLUSIONS The results presented here support the hypothesis that viral predation of bacteria is associated with high coral cover and, thus, coral health and stability. We propose that combined predation pressures from fishes and viruses control energy fluxes, inhibiting the detrimental accumulation of ecosystem energy in the microbial food web.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia B Silveira
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA.
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33149, USA.
| | - Antoni Luque
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
- Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Andreas F Haas
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ty N F Roach
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Kāne'ohe, HI, 96744, USA
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Emma E George
- Botany Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Ben Knowles
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Mark Little
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | | | - Natascha S Varona
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA
| | - Linda Wegley Kelly
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Russel Brainard
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, HI, 96818, USA
| | - Forest Rohwer
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Barbara Bailey
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.
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14
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Nelson CE, Wegley Kelly L, Haas AF. Microbial Interactions with Dissolved Organic Matter Are Central to Coral Reef Ecosystem Function and Resilience. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE 2023; 15:431-460. [PMID: 36100218 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-042121-080917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
To thrive in nutrient-poor waters, coral reefs must retain and recycle materials efficiently. This review centers microbial processes in facilitating the persistence and stability of coral reefs, specifically the role of these processes in transforming and recycling the dissolved organic matter (DOM) that acts as an invisible currency in reef production, nutrient exchange, and organismal interactions. The defining characteristics of coral reefs, including high productivity, balanced metabolism, high biodiversity, nutrient retention, and structural complexity, are inextricably linked to microbial processing of DOM. The composition of microbes and DOM in reefs is summarized, and the spatial and temporal dynamics of biogeochemical processes carried out by microorganisms in diverse reef habitats are explored in a variety of key reef processes, including decomposition, accretion, trophictransfer, and macronutrient recycling. Finally, we examine how widespread habitat degradation of reefs is altering these important microbe-DOM interactions, creating feedbacks that reduce reef resilience to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig E Nelson
- Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, Department of Oceanography, and Sea Grant College Program, School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA;
| | - Linda Wegley Kelly
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
| | - Andreas F Haas
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Texel, The Netherlands;
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15
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ConCISE: Consensus Annotation Propagation of Ion Features in Untargeted Tandem Mass Spectrometry Combining Molecular Networking and In Silico Metabolite Structure Prediction. Metabolites 2022; 12:metabo12121275. [PMID: 36557313 PMCID: PMC9786801 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12121275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent developments in molecular networking have expanded our ability to characterize the metabolome of diverse samples that contain a significant proportion of ion features with no mass spectral match to known compounds. Manual and tool-assisted natural annotation propagation is readily used to classify molecular networks; however, currently no annotation propagation tools leverage consensus confidence strategies enabled by hierarchical chemical ontologies or enable the use of new in silico tools without significant modification. Herein we present ConCISE (Consensus Classifications of In Silico Elucidations) which is the first tool to fuse molecular networking, spectral library matching and in silico class predictions to establish accurate putative classifications for entire subnetworks. By limiting annotation propagation to only structural classes which are identical for the majority of ion features within a subnetwork, ConCISE maintains a true positive rate greater than 95% across all levels of the ChemOnt hierarchical ontology used by the ClassyFire annotation software (superclass, class, subclass). The ConCISE framework expanded the proportion of reliable and consistent ion feature annotation up to 76%, allowing for improved assessment of the chemo-diversity of dissolved organic matter pools from three complex marine metabolomics datasets comprising dominant reef primary producers, five species of the diatom genus Pseudo-nitzchia, and stromatolite sediment samples.
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16
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Mueller B, Brocke HJ, Rohwer FL, Dittmar T, Huisman J, Vermeij MJA, de Goeij JM. Nocturnal dissolved organic matter release by turf algae and its role in the microbialization of reefs. Funct Ecol 2022; 36:2104-2118. [PMID: 36247100 PMCID: PMC9543674 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The increased release of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by algae has been associated with the fast but inefficient growth of opportunistic microbial pathogens and the ongoing degradation of coral reefs. Turf algae (consortia of microalgae and macroalgae commonly including cyanobacteria) dominate benthic communities on many reefs worldwide. Opposite to other reef algae that predominantly release DOM during the day, turf algae containing cyanobacteria may additionally release large amounts of DOM at night. However, this night-DOM release and its potential contribution to the microbialization of reefs remains to be investigated.We first tested the occurrence of hypoxic conditions at the turf algae-water interface, as a lack of oxygen will facilitate the production and release of fermentation intermediates as night-time DOM. Second, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release by turf algae was quantified during day time and nighttime, and the quality of day and night exudates as food for bacterioplankton was tested. Finally, DOC release rates of turf algae were combined with estimates of DOC release based on benthic community composition in 1973 and 2013 to explore how changes in benthic community composition affected the contribution of night-DOC to the reef-wide DOC production.A rapid shift from supersaturated to hypoxic conditions at the turf algae-water interface occurred immediately after the onset of darkness, resulting in night-DOC release rates similar to those during daytime. Bioassays revealed major differences in the quality between day and night exudates: Night-DOC was utilized by bacterioplankton two times faster than day-DOC, but yielded a four times lower growth efficiency. Changes in benthic community composition were estimated to have resulted in a doubling of DOC release since 1973, due to an increasing abundance of benthic cyanobacterial mats (BCMs), with night-DOC release by BCMs and turf algae accounting for >50% of the total release over a diurnal cycle.Night-DOC released by BCMs and turf algae is likely an important driver in the microbialization of reefs by stimulating microbial respiration at the expense of energy and nutrient transfer to higher trophic levels via the microbial loop, thereby threatening the productivity and biodiversity of these unique ecosystems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Mueller
- Department for Freshwater and Marine EcologyUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- CARMABI FoundationWillemstadCuraçao
- Department of Oceanography and Sea Grant College ProgramCenter for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, University of Hawai'i at MānoaHonoluluHawaiiUSA
| | - Hannah J. Brocke
- Max‐Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology (MPI Bremen)BremenGermany
| | - Forest L. Rohwer
- Department of BiologySan Diego State UniversitySan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Thorsten Dittmar
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine EnvironmentUniversity of OldenburgOldenburgGermany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB)University of OldenburgOldenburgGermany
| | - Jef Huisman
- Department for Freshwater and Marine EcologyUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Mark J. A. Vermeij
- Department for Freshwater and Marine EcologyUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- CARMABI FoundationWillemstadCuraçao
| | - Jasper M. de Goeij
- Department for Freshwater and Marine EcologyUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- CARMABI FoundationWillemstadCuraçao
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17
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Coastal Transient Niches Shape the Microdiversity Pattern of a Bacterioplankton Population with Reduced Genomes. mBio 2022; 13:e0057122. [PMID: 35880883 PMCID: PMC9426536 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00571-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally dominant marine bacterioplankton lineages are often limited in metabolic versatility, owing to their extensive genome reductions, and thus cannot take advantage of transient nutrient patches. It is therefore perplexing how the nutrient-poor bulk seawater sustains the pelagic streamlined lineages, each containing numerous populations. Here, we sequenced the genomes of 33 isolates of the recently discovered CHUG lineage (~2.6 Mbp), which have some of the smallest genomes in the globally abundant Roseobacter group (commonly over 4 Mbp). These genome-reduced bacteria were isolated from a transient habitat: seawater surrounding the brown alga, Sargassum hemiphyllum. Population genomic analyses showed that: (i) these isolates, despite sharing identical 16S rRNA genes, were differentiated into several genetically isolated populations through successive speciation events; (ii) only the first speciation event led to the genetic separation of both core and accessory genomes; and (iii) populations resulting from this event are differentiated at many loci involved in carbon utilization and oxygen respiration, corroborated by BiOLOG phenotype microarray assays and oxygen uptake kinetics experiments, respectively. These differentiated traits match well with the dynamic nature of the macroalgal seawater, in which the quantity and quality of carbon sources and the concentration of oxygen likely vary spatially and temporally, though other habitats, like fresh organic aggregates, cannot be ruled out. Our study implies that transient habitats in the overall nutrient-poor ocean can shape the microdiversity and population structure of genome-reduced bacterioplankton lineages.
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18
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Ramírez-Puebla ST, Weigel BL, Jack L, Schlundt C, Pfister CA, Mark Welch JL. Spatial organization of the kelp microbiome at micron scales. MICROBIOME 2022; 10:52. [PMID: 35331334 PMCID: PMC8944128 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01235-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Elucidating the spatial structure of host-associated microbial communities is essential for understanding taxon-taxon interactions within the microbiota and between microbiota and host. Macroalgae are colonized by complex microbial communities, suggesting intimate symbioses that likely play key roles in both macroalgal and bacterial biology, yet little is known about the spatial organization of microbes associated with macroalgae. Canopy-forming kelp are ecologically significant, fixing teragrams of carbon per year in coastal kelp forest ecosystems. We characterized the micron-scale spatial organization of bacterial communities on blades of the kelp Nereocystis luetkeana using fluorescence in situ hybridization and spectral imaging with a probe set combining phylum-, class-, and genus-level probes to localize and identify > 90% of the microbial community. RESULTS We show that kelp blades host a dense microbial biofilm composed of disparate microbial taxa in close contact with one another. The biofilm is spatially differentiated, with clustered cells of the dominant symbiont Granulosicoccus sp. (Gammaproteobacteria) close to the kelp surface and filamentous Bacteroidetes and Alphaproteobacteria relatively more abundant near the biofilm-seawater interface. A community rich in Bacteroidetes colonized the interior of kelp tissues. Microbial cell density increased markedly along the length of the kelp blade, from sparse microbial colonization of newly produced tissues at the meristematic base of the blade to an abundant microbial biofilm on older tissues at the blade tip. Kelp from a declining population hosted fewer microbial cells compared to kelp from a stable population. CONCLUSIONS Imaging revealed close association, at micrometer scales, of different microbial taxa with one another and with the host. This spatial organization creates the conditions necessary for metabolic exchange among microbes and between host and microbiota, such as provisioning of organic carbon to the microbiota and impacts of microbial nitrogen metabolisms on host kelp. The biofilm coating the surface of the kelp blade is well-positioned to mediate interactions between the host and surrounding organisms and to modulate the chemistry of the surrounding water column. The high density of microbial cells on kelp blades (105-107 cells/cm2), combined with the immense surface area of kelp forests, indicates that biogeochemical functions of the kelp microbiome may play an important role in coastal ecosystems. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Tabita Ramírez-Puebla
- Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA USA
- Present Address: The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Brooke L. Weigel
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
- Present Address: Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, Friday Harbor, WA USA
| | - Loretha Jack
- Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA USA
- Present Address: Wisconsin’s Green Fire, Rhinelander, WI USA
| | - Cathleen Schlundt
- Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA USA
- Present Address: GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Jessica L. Mark Welch
- Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA USA
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19
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Wegley Kelly L, Nelson CE, Petras D, Koester I, Quinlan ZA, Arts MGI, Nothias LF, Comstock J, White BM, Hopmans EC, van Duyl FC, Carlson CA, Aluwihare LI, Dorrestein PC, Haas AF. Distinguishing the molecular diversity, nutrient content, and energetic potential of exometabolomes produced by macroalgae and reef-building corals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2110283119. [PMID: 35101918 PMCID: PMC8812564 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2110283119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolites exuded by primary producers comprise a significant fraction of marine dissolved organic matter, a poorly characterized, heterogenous mixture that dictates microbial metabolism and biogeochemical cycling. We present a foundational untargeted molecular analysis of exudates released by coral reef primary producers using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to examine compounds produced by two coral species and three types of algae (macroalgae, turfing microalgae, and crustose coralline algae [CCA]) from Mo'orea, French Polynesia. Of 10,568 distinct ion features recovered from reef and mesocosm waters, 1,667 were exuded by producers; the majority (86%) were organism specific, reflecting a clear divide between coral and algal exometabolomes. These data allowed us to examine two tenets of coral reef ecology at the molecular level. First, stoichiometric analyses show a significantly reduced nominal carbon oxidation state of algal exometabolites than coral exometabolites, illustrating one ecological mechanism by which algal phase shifts engender fundamental changes in the biogeochemistry of reef biomes. Second, coral and algal exometabolomes were differentially enriched in organic macronutrients, revealing a mechanism for reef nutrient-recycling. Coral exometabolomes were enriched in diverse sources of nitrogen and phosphorus, including tyrosine derivatives, oleoyl-taurines, and acyl carnitines. Exometabolites of CCA and turf algae were significantly enriched in nitrogen with distinct signals from polyketide macrolactams and alkaloids, respectively. Macroalgal exometabolomes were dominated by nonnitrogenous compounds, including diverse prenol lipids and steroids. This study provides molecular-level insights into biogeochemical cycling on coral reefs and illustrates how changing benthic cover on reefs influences reef water chemistry with implications for microbial metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Wegley Kelly
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037;
| | - Craig E Nelson
- Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
| | - Daniel Petras
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
- CMFI Cluster of Excellence, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Irina Koester
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - Zachary A Quinlan
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182
| | - Milou G I Arts
- Department of Microbiology & Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Louis-Felix Nothias
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Jacqueline Comstock
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
| | - Brandie M White
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182
| | - Ellen C Hopmans
- Department of Microbiology & Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Fleur C van Duyl
- Department of Microbiology & Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Craig A Carlson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
| | - Lihini I Aluwihare
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - Pieter C Dorrestein
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Andreas F Haas
- Department of Microbiology & Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands;
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20
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Glasl B, Haskell JB, Aires T, Serrão EA, Bourne DG, Webster NS, Frade PR. Microbial Surface Biofilm Responds to the Growth-Reproduction-Senescence Cycle of the Dominant Coral Reef Macroalgae Sargassum spp. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11111199. [PMID: 34833075 PMCID: PMC8621314 DOI: 10.3390/life11111199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Macroalgae play an intricate role in microbial-mediated coral reef degradation processes due to the release of dissolved nutrients. However, temporal variabilities of macroalgal surface biofilms and their implication on the wider reef system remain poorly characterized. Here, we study the microbial biofilm of the dominant reef macroalgae Sargassum over a period of one year at an inshore Great Barrier Reef site (Magnetic Island, Australia). Monthly sampling of the Sargassum biofilm links the temporal taxonomic and putative functional metabolic microbiome changes, examined using 16S rRNA gene amplicon and metagenomic sequencing, to the pronounced growth-reproduction-senescence cycle of the host. Overall, the macroalgal biofilm was dominated by the heterotrophic phyla Firmicutes (35% ± 5.9% SD) and Bacteroidetes (12% ± 0.6% SD); their relative abundance ratio shifted significantly along the annual growth-reproduction-senescence cycle of Sargassum. For example, Firmicutes were 1.7 to 3.9 times more abundant during host growth and reproduction cycles than Bacteroidetes. Both phyla varied in their carbohydrate degradation capabilities; hence, temporal fluctuations in the carbohydrate availability are potentially linked to the observed shift. Dominant heterotrophic macroalgal biofilm members, such as Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, are implicated in exacerbating or ameliorating the release of dissolved nutrients into the ambient environment, though their contribution to microbial-mediated reef degradation processes remains to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Glasl
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Correspondence:
| | - Jasmine B. Haskell
- CCMAR-Centre of Marine Sciences, CIMAR, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (J.B.H.); (T.A.); (E.A.S.)
| | - Tania Aires
- CCMAR-Centre of Marine Sciences, CIMAR, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (J.B.H.); (T.A.); (E.A.S.)
| | - Ester A. Serrão
- CCMAR-Centre of Marine Sciences, CIMAR, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (J.B.H.); (T.A.); (E.A.S.)
| | - David G. Bourne
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville 4810, Australia
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia;
| | - Nicole S. Webster
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville 4810, Australia
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
- Australian Antarctic Division, Hobart 7050, Australia;
| | - Pedro R. Frade
- CCMAR-Centre of Marine Sciences, CIMAR, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (J.B.H.); (T.A.); (E.A.S.)
- Zoological Department III, Natural History Museum Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria;
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21
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Fong J, Todd PA. Spatio-temporal dynamics of coral-macroalgal interactions and their impacts on coral growth on urbanised reefs. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 172:112849. [PMID: 34425366 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between corals and macroalgae are important in influencing benthic community structures on coral reefs and have become increasingly common occurrences. However, little is known about their temporal variation as most studies have only documented them from single surveys. To investigate the dynamics of coral-macroalgal interactions, we surveyed three urbanised reefs in Singapore bi-monthly for three years. We found that the frequency of coral-macroalgal interactions varied greatly across sites and seasons. The extent of coral-macroalgal contact was positively correlated with macroalgal abundance, but the correlation differed significantly among macroalgal genera. The growth rates of Goniopora, Montipora and Pavona corals, but not Platygra, were also negatively correlated with the extent of macroalgal interactions. Overall, our results highlight that coral-macroalgal interactions are spatially and temporally dynamic, with varying effects among coral species. It is critical to consider seasonal fluctuations of macroalgae if the overall long-term impacts of macroalgae are to be understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Fong
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Singapore.
| | - Peter A Todd
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Singapore
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22
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Evensen NR, Vanwonterghem I, Doropoulos C, Gouezo M, Botté ES, Webster NS, Mumby PJ. Benthic micro- and macro-community succession and coral recruitment under overfishing and nutrient enrichment. Ecology 2021; 102:e03536. [PMID: 34514590 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Herbivory and nutrient availability are fundamental drivers of benthic community succession in shallow marine systems, including coral reefs. Despite the importance of early community succession for coral recruitment and recovery, studies characterizing the impact of top-down and bottom-up drivers on micro- and macrobenthic communities at scales relevant to coral recruitment are lacking. Here, a combination of tank and field experiments were used to assess the effects of herbivore exclusion and nutrient enrichment on micro- to macrobenthic community succession and subsequent coral recruitment success. Herbivore exclusion had the strongest effect on micro- and macrobenthic community succession, including a community shift toward copiotrophic and potentially opportunistic/pathogenic microorganisms, an increased cover of turf and macroalgae, and decreased cover of crustose coralline algae. Yet, when corals settled prior to the development of a macrobenthic community, rates of post-settlement survival increased when herbivores were excluded, benefiting from the predation refugia provided by cages during their vulnerable early post-settlement stage. Interestingly, survival on open tiles was negatively correlated with the relative abundance of the bacterial order Rhodobacterales, an opportunistic microbial group previously associated with stressed and diseased corals. Development of micro- and macrobenthic communities in the absence of herbivory, however, led to reduced coral settlement. In turn, there were no differences in post-settlement survival between open and caged treatments for corals settled on tiles with established benthic communities. As a result, open tiles experienced marginally higher recruitment rates, driven primarily by the higher initial number of settlers on open tiles compared to caged tiles. Overall, we reveal that the primary interaction driving coral recruitment is the positive effect of herbivory in creating crustose coralline algae (CCA)-dominated habitats, free of fleshy algae and associated opportunistic microbes, to enhance coral settlement. The negative direct and indirect impact of fish predation on newly settled corals was outweighed by the positive effect of herbivory on the initial rate of coral settlement. In turn, the addition of nutrients further altered benthic community succession in the absence of herbivory, reducing coral post-settlement survival. However, the overall impact of nutrients on coral recruitment dynamics was minor relative to herbivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas R Evensen
- Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529, USA
| | - Inka Vanwonterghem
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | | | - Marine Gouezo
- Palau International Coral Reef Center, P.O. Box 7086, Koror, 96940, Republic of Palau
| | - Emmanuelle S Botté
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.,Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nicole S Webster
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Peter J Mumby
- Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Palau International Coral Reef Center, P.O. Box 7086, Koror, 96940, Republic of Palau
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23
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Briggs AA, Brown AL, Osenberg CW. Local versus site-level effects of algae on coral microbial communities. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210035. [PMID: 34540243 PMCID: PMC8441125 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy A. Briggs
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Anya L. Brown
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, USA
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24
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Campana S, Demey C, Busch K, Hentschel U, Muyzer G, de Goeij JM. Marine sponges maintain stable bacterial communities between reef sites with different coral to algae cover ratios. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:fiab115. [PMID: 34351429 PMCID: PMC8378938 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiab115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine sponges play a major ecological role in recycling resources on coral reef ecosystems. The cycling of resources may largely depend on the stability of the host-microbiome interactions and their susceptibility to altered environmental conditions. Given the current coral to algal phase shift on coral reefs, we investigated whether the sponge-associated bacterial communities of four sponge species, with either high or low microbial abundances (HMA and LMA), remain stable at two reefs sites with different coral to algae cover ratios. Additionally, we assessed the bacterial community composition of two of these sponge species before and after a reciprocal transplantation experiment between the sites. An overall stable bacterial community composition was maintained across the two sites in all sponge species, with a high degree of host-specificity. Furthermore, the core bacterial communities of the sponges remained stable also after a 21-day transplantation period, although a minor shift was observed in less abundant taxa (< 1%). Our findings support the conclusion that host identity and HMA-LMA status are stronger traits in shaping bacterial community composition than habitat. Nevertheless, long-term microbial monitoring of sponges along with benthic biomass and water quality assessments are needed for identifying ecosystem tolerance ranges and tipping points in ongoing coral reef phase shifts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Campana
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Celine Demey
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Kathrin Busch
- Department of Marine Ecology, Research Unit Marine Symbioses, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Ute Hentschel
- Department of Marine Ecology, Research Unit Marine Symbioses, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Gerard Muyzer
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jasper M de Goeij
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, Netherlands
- CARMABI Foundation, Piscaderabaai z/n, P.O. Box 2090, Willemstad, Curaçao
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25
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Cheutin MC, Villéger S, Hicks CC, Robinson JPW, Graham NAJ, Marconnet C, Restrepo CXO, Bettarel Y, Bouvier T, Auguet JC. Microbial Shift in the Enteric Bacteriome of Coral Reef Fish Following Climate-Driven Regime Shifts. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9081711. [PMID: 34442789 PMCID: PMC8398123 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Replacement of coral by macroalgae in post-disturbance reefs, also called a “coral-macroalgal regime shift”, is increasing in response to climate-driven ocean warming. Such ecosystem change is known to impact planktonic and benthic reef microbial communities but few studies have examined the effect on animal microbiota. In order to understand the consequence of coral-macroalgal shifts on the coral reef fish enteric bacteriome, we used a metabarcoding approach to examine the gut bacteriomes of 99 individual fish representing 36 species collected on reefs of the Inner Seychelles islands that, following bleaching, had either recovered to coral domination, or shifted to macroalgae. While the coral-macroalgal shift did not influence the diversity, richness or variability of fish gut bacteriomes, we observed a significant effect on the composition (R2 = 0.02; p = 0.001), especially in herbivorous fishes (R2 = 0.07; p = 0.001). This change is accompanied by a significant increase in the proportion of fermentative bacteria (Rikenella, Akkermensia, Desulfovibrio, Brachyspira) and associated metabolisms (carbohydrates metabolism, DNA replication, and nitrogen metabolism) in relation to the strong turnover of Scarinae and Siganidae fishes. Predominance of fermentative metabolisms in fish found on macroalgal dominated reefs indicates that regime shifts not only affect the taxonomic composition of fish bacteriomes, but also have the potential to affect ecosystem functioning through microbial functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Charlotte Cheutin
- UMR MARBEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France; (S.V.); (C.M.); (C.X.O.R.); (Y.B.); (T.B.); (J.-C.A.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Sébastien Villéger
- UMR MARBEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France; (S.V.); (C.M.); (C.X.O.R.); (Y.B.); (T.B.); (J.-C.A.)
| | - Christina C. Hicks
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK; (C.C.H.); (J.P.W.R.); (N.A.J.G.)
| | - James P. W. Robinson
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK; (C.C.H.); (J.P.W.R.); (N.A.J.G.)
| | - Nicholas A. J. Graham
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK; (C.C.H.); (J.P.W.R.); (N.A.J.G.)
| | - Clémence Marconnet
- UMR MARBEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France; (S.V.); (C.M.); (C.X.O.R.); (Y.B.); (T.B.); (J.-C.A.)
| | - Claudia Ximena Ortiz Restrepo
- UMR MARBEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France; (S.V.); (C.M.); (C.X.O.R.); (Y.B.); (T.B.); (J.-C.A.)
| | - Yvan Bettarel
- UMR MARBEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France; (S.V.); (C.M.); (C.X.O.R.); (Y.B.); (T.B.); (J.-C.A.)
| | - Thierry Bouvier
- UMR MARBEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France; (S.V.); (C.M.); (C.X.O.R.); (Y.B.); (T.B.); (J.-C.A.)
| | - Jean-Christophe Auguet
- UMR MARBEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France; (S.V.); (C.M.); (C.X.O.R.); (Y.B.); (T.B.); (J.-C.A.)
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26
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Jorissen H, Galand PE, Bonnard I, Meiling S, Raviglione D, Meistertzheim AL, Hédouin L, Banaigs B, Payri CE, Nugues MM. Coral larval settlement preferences linked to crustose coralline algae with distinct chemical and microbial signatures. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14610. [PMID: 34272460 PMCID: PMC8285400 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94096-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The resilience of coral reefs is dependent on the ability of corals to settle after disturbances. While crustose coralline algae (CCA) are considered important substrates for coral settlement, it remains unclear whether coral larvae respond to CCA metabolites and microbial cues when selecting sites for attachment and metamorphosis. This study tested the settlement preferences of an abundant coral species (Acropora cytherea) against six different CCA species from three habitats (exposed, subcryptic and cryptic), and compared these preferences with the metabolome and microbiome characterizing the CCA. While all CCA species induced settlement, only one species (Titanoderma prototypum) significantly promoted settlement on the CCA surface, rather than on nearby dead coral or plastic surfaces. This species had a very distinct bacterial community and metabolomic fingerprint. Furthermore, coral settlement rates and the CCA microbiome and metabolome were specific to the CCA preferred habitat, suggesting that microbes and/or chemicals serve as environmental indicators for coral larvae. Several amplicon sequence variants and two lipid classes—glycoglycerolipids and betaine lipids—present in T. prototypum were identified as potential omic cues influencing coral settlement. These results support that the distinct microbiome and metabolome of T. prototypum may promote the settlement and attachment of coral larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrikje Jorissen
- CRIOBE USR 3278, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS-PSL, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan Cedex, France.
| | - Pierre E Galand
- CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Sorbonne Université, 66500, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Isabelle Bonnard
- CRIOBE USR 3278, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS-PSL, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan Cedex, France.,Laboratoire d'Excellence « CORAIL», 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
| | - Sonora Meiling
- CRIOBE USR 3278, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS-PSL, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan Cedex, France.,University of the Virgin Islands, St Thomas, 00802-6004, Virgin Islands (U.S.)
| | - Delphine Raviglione
- CRIOBE USR 3278, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS-PSL, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan Cedex, France
| | - Anne-Leila Meistertzheim
- CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Sorbonne Université, 66500, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France.,Plastic@Sea, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, 66650, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Laetitia Hédouin
- CRIOBE USR 3278, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS-PSL, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan Cedex, France.,Laboratoire d'Excellence « CORAIL», 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
| | - Bernard Banaigs
- CRIOBE USR 3278, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS-PSL, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan Cedex, France.,Laboratoire d'Excellence « CORAIL», 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
| | | | - Maggy M Nugues
- CRIOBE USR 3278, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS-PSL, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan Cedex, France.,Laboratoire d'Excellence « CORAIL», 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
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27
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Aeby GS, Shore A, Jensen T, Ziegler M, Work T, Voolstra CR. A comparative baseline of coral disease in three regions along the Saudi Arabian coast of the central Red Sea. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246854. [PMID: 34242223 PMCID: PMC8270217 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Coral disease is a growing problem for coral reefs globally and diseases have been linked to thermal stress, excess nutrients, overfishing and other human impacts. The Red Sea is a unique environment for corals with a strong environmental gradient characterized by temperature extremes and high salinities, but minimal terrestrial runoff or riverine input and their associated pollution. Yet, relatively little is known about coral diseases in this region. Disease surveys were conducted at 22 reefs within three regions (Yanbu, Thuwal, Al Lith) in the central Red Sea along the Saudi Arabian coast. Surveys occurred in October 2015, which coincided with a hyperthermal-induced bleaching event. Our objectives were to 1) document types, prevalence, and distribution of coral diseases in a region with minimal terrestrial input, 2) compare regional differences in diseases and bleaching along a latitudinal gradient of environmental conditions, and 3) use histopathology to characterize disease lesions at the cellular level. Coral reefs of the central Red Sea had a widespread but a surprisingly low prevalence of disease (<0.5%), based on the examination of >75,750 colonies. Twenty diseases were recorded affecting 16 coral taxa and included black band disease, white syndromes, endolithic hypermycosis, skeletal eroding band, growth anomalies and focal bleached patches. The three most common diseases were Acropora white syndrome (59.1% of the survey sites), Porites growth anomalies (40.9%), and Porites white syndrome (31.8%). Sixteen out of 30 coral genera within transects had lesions and Acropora, Millepora and Lobophyllia were the most commonly affected. Cell-associated microbial aggregates were found in four coral genera including a first report in Stylophora. Differences in disease prevalence, coral cover, amount of heat stress as measured by degree heating weeks (DHW) and extent of bleaching was evident among sites. Disease prevalence was not explained by coral cover or DHW, and a negative relationship between coral bleaching and disease prevalence was found. The northern-most sites off the coast of Yanbu had the highest average disease prevalence and highest average DHW values but no bleaching. Our study provides a foundation and baseline data for coral disease prevalence in the central Red Sea, which is projected to increase as a consequence of increased frequency and severity of ocean warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Smith Aeby
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Amanda Shore
- Department of Biology, Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, NY, United States of America
| | - Thor Jensen
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, SaudiArabia
| | - Maren Ziegler
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, SaudiArabia
- Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Thierry Work
- US Geological Survey, Wildlife Health Center, Honolulu Field Station, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America
| | - Christian R. Voolstra
- Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, SaudiArabia
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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28
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Ocean Acidification and Direct Interactions Affect Coral, Macroalga, and Sponge Growth in the Florida Keys. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse9070739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Coral reef community composition, function, and resilience have been altered by natural and anthropogenic stressors. Future anthropogenic ocean and coastal acidification (together termed “acidification”) may exacerbate this reef degradation. Accurately predicting reef resilience requires an understanding of not only direct impacts of acidification on marine organisms but also indirect effects on species interactions that influence community composition and reef ecosystem functions. In this 28-day experiment, we assessed the effect of acidification on coral–algal, coral–sponge, and algal–sponge interactions. We quantified growth of corals (Siderastrea radians), fleshy macroalgae (Dictyota spp.), and sponges (Pione lampa) that were exposed to local summer ambient (603 μatm) or elevated (1105 μatm) pCO2 seawater. These species are common to hard-bottom communities, including shallow reefs, in the Florida Keys. Each individual was maintained in isolation or paired with another organism. Coral growth (net calcification) was similar across seawater pCO2 and interaction treatments. Fleshy macroalgae had increased biomass when paired with a sponge but lost biomass when growing in isolation or paired with coral. Sponges grew more volumetrically in the elevated seawater pCO2 treatment (i.e., under acidification conditions). Although these results are limited in temporal and spatial scales due to the experimental design, they do lend support to the hypothesis that acidification may facilitate a shift towards increased sponge and macroalgae abundance by directly benefiting sponge growth which in turn may provide more dissolved inorganic nitrogen to macroalgae in the Florida Keys.
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George EE, Mullinix JA, Meng F, Bailey BA, Edwards C, Felts B, Haas AF, Hartmann AC, Mueller B, Roach TN, Salamon P, Silveira C, Vermeij MJ, Rohwer F, Luque A. Space-filling and benthic competition on coral reefs. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11213. [PMID: 34249480 PMCID: PMC8253116 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Reef-building corals are ecosystem engineers that compete with other benthic organisms for space and resources. Corals harvest energy through their surface by photosynthesis and heterotrophic feeding, and they divert part of this energy to defend their outer colony perimeter against competitors. Here, we hypothesized that corals with a larger space-filling surface and smaller perimeters increase energy gain while reducing the exposure to competitors. This predicted an association between these two geometric properties of corals and the competitive outcome against other benthic organisms. To test the prediction, fifty coral colonies from the Caribbean island of Curaçao were rendered using digital 3D and 2D reconstructions. The surface areas, perimeters, box-counting dimensions (as a proxy of surface and perimeter space-filling), and other geometric properties were extracted and analyzed with respect to the percentage of the perimeter losing or winning against competitors based on the coral tissue apparent growth or damage. The increase in surface space-filling dimension was the only significant single indicator of coral winning outcomes, but the combination of surface space-filling dimension with perimeter length increased the statistical prediction of coral competition outcomes. Corals with larger surface space-filling dimensions (Ds > 2) and smaller perimeters displayed more winning outcomes, confirming the initial hypothesis. We propose that the space-filling property of coral surfaces complemented with other proxies of coral competitiveness, such as life history traits, will provide a more accurate quantitative characterization of coral competition outcomes on coral reefs. This framework also applies to other organisms or ecological systems that rely on complex surfaces to obtain energy for competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E. George
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - James A. Mullinix
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Fanwei Meng
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Barbara A. Bailey
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Clinton Edwards
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Ben Felts
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Andreas F. Haas
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, Texel, Netherlands
| | - Aaron C. Hartmann
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Mueller
- CARMABI Foundation, Willemstad, Curaçao
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology/Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ty N.F. Roach
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai’i at Mãnoa, Kãne’ohe, HI, United States of America
| | - Peter Salamon
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Cynthia Silveira
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, United States of America
| | - Mark J.A. Vermeij
- CARMABI Foundation, Willemstad, Curaçao
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology/Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Forest Rohwer
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Antoni Luque
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
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Wambua S, Gourlé H, de Villiers EP, Karlsson-Lindsjö O, Wambiji N, Macdonald A, Bongcam-Rudloff E, de Villiers S. Cross-Sectional Variations in Structure and Function of Coral Reef Microbiome With Local Anthropogenic Impacts on the Kenyan Coast of the Indian Ocean. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:673128. [PMID: 34248882 PMCID: PMC8260691 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.673128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs face an increased number of environmental threats from anthropomorphic climate change and pollution from agriculture, industries and sewage. Because environmental changes lead to their compositional and functional shifts, coral reef microbial communities can serve as indicators of ecosystem impacts through development of rapid and inexpensive molecular monitoring tools. Little is known about coral reef microbial communities of the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). We compared taxonomic and functional diversity of microbial communities inhabiting near-coral seawater and sediments from Kenyan reefs exposed to varying impacts of human activities. Over 19,000 species (bacterial, viral and archaeal combined) and 4,500 clusters of orthologous groups of proteins (COGs) were annotated. The coral reefs showed variations in the relative abundances of ecologically significant taxa, especially copiotrophic bacteria and coliphages, corresponding to the magnitude of the neighboring human impacts in the respective sites. Furthermore, the near-coral seawater and sediment metagenomes had an overrepresentation of COGs for functions related to adaptation to diverse environments. Malindi and Mombasa marine parks, the coral reef sites closest to densely populated settlements were significantly enriched with genes for functions suggestive of mitigation of environment perturbations including the capacity to reduce intracellular levels of environmental contaminants and repair of DNA damage. Our study is the first metagenomic assessment of WIO coral reef microbial diversity which provides a much-needed baseline for the region, and points to a potential area for future research toward establishing indicators of environmental perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sammy Wambua
- Pwani University Bioscience Research Centre (PUBReC), Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya.,Department of Biological Sciences, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Hadrien Gourlé
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Etienne P de Villiers
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya.,Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Oskar Karlsson-Lindsjö
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Nina Wambiji
- Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Mombasa, Kenya
| | - Angus Macdonald
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Erik Bongcam-Rudloff
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Santie de Villiers
- Pwani University Bioscience Research Centre (PUBReC), Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya.,Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
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31
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Rodríguez-Gómez C, Durán-Riveroll LM, Okolodkov YB, Oliart-Ros RM, García-Casillas AM, Cembella AD. Diversity of Bacterioplankton and Bacteriobenthos from the Veracruz Reef System, Southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Microorganisms 2021; 9:619. [PMID: 33802890 PMCID: PMC8002828 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9030619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial diversity was explored among field samples and cultured isolates from coral reefs within the Veracruz Reef System. Bacterioplankton and bacteriobenthos were characterized by pyrosequencing 16S rRNA genes. Identified sequences belonged to the kingdom Bacteria and classified into 33 phyla. Proteobacteria (likely SAR11 clade) dominated in collective field samples, whereas Firmicutes were the most abundant taxa among cultured isolates. Bioinformatic sorting of sequences to family level revealed 223 bacterial families. Pseudomonadaceae, Exiguobacteraceae and Bacillaceae were dominant among cultured isolates. Vibrionaceae, Alteromonadaceae, and Flavobacteriaceae dominated in reef-associated sediments, whereas Rickettsiaceae and Synechoccaceae were more highly represented in the water column. Bacterial communities from sediments were more diverse than from the water column. This study reveals cryptic bacterial diversity among microenvironmental components of marine microbial reef communities subject to differential influence of anthropogenic stressors. Such investigations are critical for constructing scenarios of environmentally induced shifts in bacterial biodiversity and species composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Citlali Rodríguez-Gómez
- Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo en Alimentos, Tecnológico Nacional de México/Instituto Tecnológico de Veracruz, Veracruz 91897, Mexico; (C.R.-G.); (R.M.O.-R.)
| | - Lorena María Durán-Riveroll
- CONACYT—Departamento de Biotecnología Marina, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada 3918, Ensenada 22860, Baja California, Mexico
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Yuri B. Okolodkov
- Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Pesquerías, Universidad Veracruzana, Mar Mediterráneo 314, Fracc. Costa Verde, Boca del Río 94294, Veracruz, Mexico;
| | - Rosa María Oliart-Ros
- Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo en Alimentos, Tecnológico Nacional de México/Instituto Tecnológico de Veracruz, Veracruz 91897, Mexico; (C.R.-G.); (R.M.O.-R.)
| | | | - Allan D. Cembella
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
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32
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Harvey BP, Allen R, Agostini S, Hoffmann LJ, Kon K, Summerfield TC, Wada S, Hall-Spencer JM. Feedback mechanisms stabilise degraded turf algal systems at a CO 2 seep site. Commun Biol 2021; 4:219. [PMID: 33594188 PMCID: PMC7901039 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01712-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human activities are rapidly changing the structure and function of coastal marine ecosystems. Large-scale replacement of kelp forests and coral reefs with turf algal mats is resulting in homogenous habitats that have less ecological and human value. Ocean acidification has strong potential to substantially favour turf algae growth, which led us to examine the mechanisms that stabilise turf algal states. Here we show that ocean acidification promotes turf algae over corals and macroalgae, mediating new habitat conditions that create stabilising feedback loops (altered physicochemical environment and microbial community, and an inhibition of recruitment) capable of locking turf systems in place. Such feedbacks help explain why degraded coastal habitats persist after being initially pushed past the tipping point by global and local anthropogenic stressors. An understanding of the mechanisms that stabilise degraded coastal habitats can be incorporated into adaptive management to better protect the contribution of coastal systems to human wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben P Harvey
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 5-10-1 Shimoda, Shizuoka, 415-0025, Japan.
| | - Ro Allen
- Department of Botany, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- The Marine Biological Association, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2PB, UK
| | - Sylvain Agostini
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 5-10-1 Shimoda, Shizuoka, 415-0025, Japan
| | - Linn J Hoffmann
- Department of Botany, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Koetsu Kon
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 5-10-1 Shimoda, Shizuoka, 415-0025, Japan
| | | | - Shigeki Wada
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 5-10-1 Shimoda, Shizuoka, 415-0025, Japan
| | - Jason M Hall-Spencer
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 5-10-1 Shimoda, Shizuoka, 415-0025, Japan
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
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33
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Silva L, Calleja ML, Ivetic S, Huete-Stauffer T, Roth F, Carvalho S, Morán XAG. Heterotrophic bacterioplankton responses in coral- and algae-dominated Red Sea reefs show they might benefit from future regime shift. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 751:141628. [PMID: 32896805 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In coral reefs, dissolved organic matter (DOM) cycling is a critical process for sustaining ecosystem functioning. However, global and local stressors have caused persistent shifts from coral- to algae-dominated benthic communities. The influence of such phase shifts on DOM nature and its utilization by heterotrophic bacterioplankton remains poorly studied. Every second month for one year, we retrieved seawater samples enriched in DOM produced by coral- and algae-dominated benthic communities in a central Red Sea reef during a full annual cycle. Seawater incubations were conducted in the laboratory under in situ temperature and light conditions by inoculating enriched DOM samples with bacterial assemblages collected in the surrounding waters. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were higher in the warmer months (May-September) in both communities, resulting in higher specific growth rates and bacterial growth efficiencies (BGE). However, these high summer values were significantly enhanced in algal-DOM relative to coral-DOM, suggesting the potential for bacterioplankton biomass increase in reefs with algae replacing healthy coral cover under warmer conditions. The potential exacerbation of heterotrophic bacterial activity in the ongoing widespread regime shift from coral- to algae-dominated communities may have detrimental consequences for the overall health of tropical coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Silva
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Maria Ll Calleja
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Department of Climate Geochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC), Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Tamara Huete-Stauffer
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Florian Roth
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, 11418 Stockholm, Sweden; Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Susana Carvalho
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Xosé Anxelu G Morán
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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Aquino CA, Besemer RM, DeRito CM, Kocian J, Porter IR, Raimondi PT, Rede JE, Schiebelhut LM, Sparks JP, Wares JP, Hewson I. Evidence That Microorganisms at the Animal-Water Interface Drive Sea Star Wasting Disease. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:610009. [PMID: 33488550 PMCID: PMC7815596 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.610009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Sea star wasting (SSW) disease describes a condition affecting asteroids that resulted in significant Northeastern Pacific population decline following a mass mortality event in 2013. The etiology of SSW is unresolved. We hypothesized that SSW is a sequela of microbial organic matter remineralization near respiratory surfaces, one consequence of which may be limited O2 availability at the animal-water interface. Microbial assemblages inhabiting tissues and at the asteroid-water interface bore signatures of copiotroph proliferation before SSW onset, followed by the appearance of putatively facultative and strictly anaerobic taxa at the time of lesion genesis and as animals died. SSW lesions were induced in Pisaster ochraceus by enrichment with a variety of organic matter (OM) sources. These results together illustrate that depleted O2 conditions at the animal-water interface may be established by heterotrophic microbial activity in response to organic matter loading. SSW was also induced by modestly (∼39%) depleted O2 conditions in aquaria, suggesting that small perturbations in dissolved O2 may exacerbate the condition. SSW susceptibility between species was significantly and positively correlated with surface rugosity, a key determinant of diffusive boundary layer thickness. Tissues of SSW-affected individuals collected in 2013–2014 bore δ15N signatures reflecting anaerobic processes, which suggests that this phenomenon may have affected asteroids during mass mortality at the time. The impacts of enhanced microbial activity and subsequent O2 diffusion limitation may be more pronounced under higher temperatures due to lower O2 solubility, in more rugose asteroid species due to restricted hydrodynamic flow, and in larger specimens due to their lower surface area to volume ratios which affects diffusive respiratory potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Citlalli A Aquino
- Department of Biology, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, CA, United States
| | - Ryan M Besemer
- Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, United States
| | | | - Jan Kocian
- Unaffiliated Researcher, Freeland, WA, United States
| | - Ian R Porter
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Peter T Raimondi
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Jordan E Rede
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Lauren M Schiebelhut
- Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, United States
| | - Jed P Sparks
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - John P Wares
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Ian Hewson
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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35
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Jackson RL, Gabric AJ, Cropp R. Coral reefs as a source of climate-active aerosols. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10023. [PMID: 33062438 PMCID: PMC7531332 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
We review the evidence for bio-regulation by coral reefs of local climate through stress-induced emissions of aerosol precursors, such as dimethylsulfide. This is an issue that goes to the core of the coral ecosystem’s ability to maintain homeostasis in the face of increasing climate change impacts and other anthropogenic pressures. We examine this through an analysis of data on aerosol emissions by corals of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. We focus on the relationship with local stressors, such as surface irradiance levels and sea surface temperature, both before and after notable coral bleaching events. We conclude that coral reefs may be able to regulate their exposure to environmental stressors through modification of the optical properties of the atmosphere, however this ability may be impaired as climate change intensifies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Jackson
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
| | - Albert J Gabric
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Roger Cropp
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
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Spatial patterns of microbial communities across surface waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Commun Biol 2020; 3:442. [PMID: 32796904 PMCID: PMC7428009 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01166-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms are fundamental drivers of biogeochemical cycling, though their contribution to coral reef ecosystem functioning is poorly understood. Here, we infer predictors of bacterioplankton community dynamics across surface-waters of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) through a meta-analysis, combining microbial with environmental data from the eReefs platform. Nutrient dynamics and temperature explained 41.4% of inter-seasonal and cross-shelf variation in bacterial assemblages. Bacterial families OCS155, Cryomorphaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, Synechococcaceae and Rhodobacteraceae dominated inshore reefs and their relative abundances positively correlated with nutrient loads. In contrast, Prochlorococcaceae negatively correlated with nutrients and became increasingly dominant towards outershelf reefs. Cyanobacteria in Prochlorococcaceae and Synechococcaceae families occupy complementary cross-shelf biogeochemical niches; their abundance ratios representing a potential indicator of GBR nutrient levels. One Flavobacteriaceae-affiliated taxa was putatively identified as diagnostic for ecosystem degradation. Establishing microbial observatories along GBR environmental gradients will facilitate robust assessments of microbial contributions to reef health and inform tipping-points in reef condition.
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37
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Walter JM, Coutinho FH, Leomil L, Hargreaves PI, Campeão ME, Vieira VV, Silva BS, Fistarol GO, Salomon PS, Sawabe T, Mino S, Hosokawa M, Miyashita H, Maruyama F, van Verk MC, Dutilh BE, Thompson CC, Thompson FL. Ecogenomics of the Marine Benthic Filamentous Cyanobacterium Adonisia. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2020; 80:249-265. [PMID: 32060621 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-019-01480-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Turfs are among the major benthic components of reef systems worldwide. The nearly complete genome sequences, basic physiological characteristics, and phylogenomic reconstruction of two phycobiliprotein-rich filamentous cyanobacteria strains isolated from turf assemblages from the Abrolhos Bank (Brazil) are investigated. Both Adonisia turfae CCMR0081T (= CBAS 745T) and CCMR0082 contain approximately 8 Mbp in genome size and experiments identified that both strains exhibit chromatic acclimation. Whereas CCMR0081T exhibits chromatic acclimation type 3 (CA3) regulating both phycocyanin (PC) and phycoerythrin (PE), CCMR0082 strain exhibits chromatic acclimation type 2 (CA2), in correspondence with genes encoding specific photosensors and regulators for PC and PE. Furthermore, a high number and diversity of secondary metabolite synthesis gene clusters were identified in both genomes, and they were able to grow at high temperatures (28 °C, with scant growth at 30 °C). These characteristics provide insights into their widespread distribution in reef systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juline M Walter
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Centre for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics (CMBI), Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Felipe H Coutinho
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Centre for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics (CMBI), Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Luciana Leomil
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Paulo I Hargreaves
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mariana E Campeão
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Beatriz S Silva
- Marine Phytoplankton Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Giovana O Fistarol
- Marine Phytoplankton Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Paulo S Salomon
- Marine Phytoplankton Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Tomoo Sawabe
- Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Japan
| | - Sayaka Mino
- Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Japan
| | - Masashi Hosokawa
- Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Japan
| | - Hideaki Miyashita
- Office of Academic Research and Industry-Government Collaboration, Hiroshima University, 739-8530, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Fumito Maruyama
- Office of Academic Research and Industry-Government Collaboration, Hiroshima University, 739-8530, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Marcel C van Verk
- Plant-Microbe Interactions, Bioinformatics, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Bas E Dutilh
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Centre for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics (CMBI), Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Cristiane C Thompson
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabiano L Thompson
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Center of Technology-CT2, SAGE-COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, CCS-IB-Biomar, Lab. de Microbiologia, Bloco A3, (Anexo), sl. 102, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21941-599, Brazil.
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38
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Diaz-Pulido G, Barrón C. CO 2 Enrichment Stimulates Dissolved Organic Carbon Release in Coral Reef Macroalgae. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2020; 56:1039-1052. [PMID: 32279320 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) released by macroalgae is important in the context of coral reef degradation as it contributes to coral mortality by promoting bacterial metabolism on the coral surface. Using experimental carbon dioxide (CO2 ) manipulations in outdoor flow-through tanks, we found that seawater CO2 enrichment enhances daily net DOC release in a range of macroalgal species in the Great Barrier Reef (Australia). There was, however, large variability in DOC release among species, light and dark conditions, and CO2 exposure times. Under light conditions, DOC release in the red macroalga Amansia was 15 times higher under high CO2 conditions compared to ambient CO2 , however, CO2 enhancement did not affect DOC production in the other species. Results from the night incubations were more consistent as three of the four species (Amansia, Lobophora, and Sargassum) enhanced DOC release when enriched with CO2 . DOC fluxes shifted from production in the 1-d incubations to consumption in the 19-d experiment under light conditions, suggesting an important role of bacteria in DOC balances. The results suggest that rising CO2 (and ocean acidification) will continue to intensify space competition in favor of the macroalgae, potentially exacerbating reef degradation and ecological phase shifts from coral to macroalgal dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Diaz-Pulido
- School of Environment and Science, and Australian Rivers Institute - Coast & Estuaries, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Nathan, Queensland, 4111, Australia
| | - Cristina Barrón
- School of Environment and Science, and Australian Rivers Institute - Coast & Estuaries, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Nathan, Queensland, 4111, Australia
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39
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Roach TNF, Little M, Arts MGI, Huckeba J, Haas AF, George EE, Quinn RA, Cobián-Güemes AG, Naliboff DS, Silveira CB, Vermeij MJA, Kelly LW, Dorrestein PC, Rohwer F. A multiomic analysis of in situ coral-turf algal interactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:13588-13595. [PMID: 32482859 PMCID: PMC7306781 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1915455117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses, microbes, and host macroorganisms form ecological units called holobionts. Here, a combination of metagenomic sequencing, metabolomic profiling, and epifluorescence microscopy was used to investigate how the different components of the holobiont including bacteria, viruses, and their associated metabolites mediate ecological interactions between corals and turf algae. The data demonstrate that there was a microbial assemblage unique to the coral-turf algae interface displaying higher microbial abundances and larger microbial cells. This was consistent with previous studies showing that turf algae exudates feed interface and coral-associated microbial communities, often at the detriment of the coral. Further supporting this hypothesis, when the metabolites were assigned a nominal oxidation state of carbon (NOSC), we found that the turf algal metabolites were significantly more reduced (i.e., have higher potential energy) compared to the corals and interfaces. The algae feeding hypothesis was further supported when the ecological outcomes of interactions (e.g., whether coral was winning or losing) were considered. For example, coral holobionts losing the competition with turf algae had higher Bacteroidetes-to-Firmicutes ratios and an elevated abundance of genes involved in bacterial growth and division. These changes were similar to trends observed in the obese human gut microbiome, where overfeeding of the microbiome creates a dysbiosis detrimental to the long-term health of the metazoan host. Together these results show that there are specific biogeochemical changes at coral-turf algal interfaces that predict the competitive outcomes between holobionts and are consistent with algal exudates feeding coral-associated microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ty N F Roach
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Kāne'ohe, HI 96744;
- Biosphere 2, University of Arizona, Oracle, AZ 85739
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182
| | - Mark Little
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182
| | - Milou G I Arts
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Utrecht University, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T1Z4
| | - Joel Huckeba
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andreas F Haas
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Utrecht University, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Emma E George
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T1Z4
| | - Robert A Quinn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823
| | | | | | - Cynthia B Silveira
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182
| | - Mark J A Vermeij
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Utrecht University, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
- Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity (CARMABI), Willemstad, Curaçao
| | | | - Pieter C Dorrestein
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Forest Rohwer
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182;
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182
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40
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Clements CS, Burns AS, Stewart FJ, Hay ME. Seaweed-coral competition in the field: effects on coral growth, photosynthesis and microbiomes require direct contact. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200366. [PMID: 32453990 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
A number of tropical reefs have transitioned from coral to macroalgal dominance, but the role of macroalgal competition in coral decline is debated. There is a need to understand the relative roles of direct coral-algal effects versus indirect, microbially mediated effects shaping these interactions, as well as the relevant scales at which interactions operate under natural field, as opposed to laboratory, conditions. We conducted a manipulative field experiment investigating how direct contact versus close proximity (approx. 1.5 cm) with macroalgae (Galaxaura rugosa, Sargassum polycystum) impacted the growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and prokaryotic microbiome of the common Indo-Pacific coral Acropora millepora. Both coral growth and photosynthetic efficiency were suppressed when in direct contact with algae or their inert mimics--but not when in close proximity to corals without direct contact. Coral microbiomes were largely unaltered in composition, variability, or diversity regardless of treatment, although a few uncommon taxa differed in abundance among treatments. Negative impacts of macroalgae were contact dependent, accounted for by physical structure alone and had minimal effects on coral microbiomes. The spatial constraints of these interactions have important implications for understanding and predicting benthic community dynamics as reefs degrade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody S Clements
- School of Biological Sciences, Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0230, USA
| | - Andrew S Burns
- School of Biological Sciences, Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0230, USA.,NIAID Microbiome Program, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Frank J Stewart
- School of Biological Sciences, Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0230, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3520, USA
| | - Mark E Hay
- School of Biological Sciences, Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0230, USA
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41
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Karcher DB, Roth F, Carvalho S, El-Khaled YC, Tilstra A, Kürten B, Struck U, Jones BH, Wild C. Nitrogen eutrophication particularly promotes turf algae in coral reefs of the central Red Sea. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8737. [PMID: 32274261 PMCID: PMC7130110 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
While various sources increasingly release nutrients to the Red Sea, knowledge about their effects on benthic coral reef communities is scarce. Here, we provide the first comparative assessment of the response of all major benthic groups (hard and soft corals, turf algae and reef sands—together accounting for 80% of the benthic reef community) to in-situ eutrophication in a central Red Sea coral reef. For 8 weeks, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations were experimentally increased 3-fold above environmental background concentrations around natural benthic reef communities using a slow release fertilizer with 15% total nitrogen (N) content. We investigated which major functional groups took up the available N, and how this changed organic carbon (Corg) and N contents using elemental and stable isotope measurements. Findings revealed that hard corals (in their tissue), soft corals and turf algae incorporated fertilizer N as indicated by significant increases in δ15N by 8%, 27% and 28%, respectively. Among the investigated groups, Corg content significantly increased in sediments (+24%) and in turf algae (+33%). Altogether, this suggests that among the benthic organisms only turf algae were limited by N availability and thus benefited most from N addition. Thereby, based on higher Corg content, turf algae potentially gained competitive advantage over, for example, hard corals. Local management should, thus, particularly address DIN eutrophication by coastal development and consider the role of turf algae as potential bioindicator for eutrophication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis B Karcher
- Marine Ecology Department, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Florian Roth
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.,Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Susana Carvalho
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yusuf C El-Khaled
- Marine Ecology Department, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Arjen Tilstra
- Marine Ecology Department, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Kürten
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.,Project Management Jülich, Jülich Research Centre, Rostock, Germany
| | - Ulrich Struck
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Burton H Jones
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Christian Wild
- Marine Ecology Department, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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42
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Vanwonterghem I, Webster NS. Coral Reef Microorganisms in a Changing Climate. iScience 2020; 23:100972. [PMID: 32208346 PMCID: PMC7096749 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.100972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on the planet, yet they have suffered tremendous losses due to anthropogenic disturbances and are predicted to be one of the most adversely affected habitats under future climate change conditions. Coral reefs can be viewed as microbially driven ecosystems that rely on the efficient capture, retention, and recycling of nutrients in order to thrive in oligotrophic waters. Microorganisms play vital roles in maintaining holobiont health and ecosystem resilience under environmental stress; however, they are also key players in positive feedback loops that intensify coral reef decline, with cascading effects on biogeochemical cycles and marine food webs. There is an urgent need to develop a fundamental understanding of the complex microbial interactions within coral reefs and their role in ecosystem acclimatization, and it is important to include microorganisms in reef conservation in order to secure a future for these unique environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inka Vanwonterghem
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Nicole S Webster
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
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43
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Glasl B, Robbins S, Frade PR, Marangon E, Laffy PW, Bourne DG, Webster NS. Comparative genome-centric analysis reveals seasonal variation in the function of coral reef microbiomes. ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:1435-1450. [PMID: 32123297 PMCID: PMC7242418 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0622-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 02/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Microbially mediated processes contribute to coral reef resilience yet, despite extensive characterisation of microbial community variation following environmental perturbation, the effect on microbiome function is poorly understood. We undertook metagenomic sequencing of sponge, macroalgae and seawater microbiomes from a macroalgae-dominated inshore coral reef to define their functional potential and evaluate seasonal shifts in microbially mediated processes. In total, 125 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes were reconstructed, spanning 15 bacterial and 3 archaeal phyla. Multivariate analysis of the genomes relative abundance revealed changes in the functional potential of reef microbiomes in relation to seasonal environmental fluctuations (e.g. macroalgae biomass, temperature). For example, a shift from Alphaproteobacteria to Bacteroidota-dominated seawater microbiomes occurred during summer, resulting in an increased genomic potential to degrade macroalgal-derived polysaccharides. An 85% reduction of Chloroflexota was observed in the sponge microbiome during summer, with potential consequences for nutrition, waste product removal, and detoxification in the sponge holobiont. A shift in the Firmicutes:Bacteroidota ratio was detected on macroalgae over summer with potential implications for polysaccharide degradation in macroalgal microbiomes. These results highlight that seasonal shifts in the dominant microbial taxa alter the functional repertoire of host-associated and seawater microbiomes, and highlight how environmental perturbation can affect microbially mediated processes in coral reef ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Glasl
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia. .,College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia. .,AIMS@JCU, Townsville, QLD, Australia.
| | - Steven Robbins
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Pedro R Frade
- Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Emma Marangon
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Patrick W Laffy
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - David G Bourne
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Nicole S Webster
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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44
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Silveira CB, Coutinho FH, Cavalcanti GS, Benler S, Doane MP, Dinsdale EA, Edwards RA, Francini-Filho RB, Thompson CC, Luque A, Rohwer FL, Thompson F. Genomic and ecological attributes of marine bacteriophages encoding bacterial virulence genes. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:126. [PMID: 32024463 PMCID: PMC7003362 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-6523-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bacteriophages encode genes that modify bacterial functions during infection. The acquisition of phage-encoded virulence genes is a major mechanism for the rise of bacterial pathogens. In coral reefs, high bacterial density and lysogeny has been proposed to exacerbate reef decline through the transfer of phage-encoded virulence genes. However, the functions and distribution of these genes in phage virions on the reef remain unknown. Results Here, over 28,000 assembled viral genomes from the free viral community in Atlantic and Pacific Ocean coral reefs were queried against a curated database of virulence genes. The diversity of virulence genes encoded in the viral genomes was tested for relationships with host taxonomy and bacterial density in the environment. These analyses showed that bacterial density predicted the profile of virulence genes encoded by phages. The Shannon diversity of virulence-encoding phages was negatively related with bacterial density, leading to dominance of fewer genes at high bacterial abundances. A statistical learning analysis showed that reefs with high microbial density were enriched in viruses encoding genes enabling bacterial recognition and invasion of metazoan epithelium. Over 60% of phages could not have their hosts identified due to limitations of host prediction tools; for those which hosts were identified, host taxonomy was not an indicator of the presence of virulence genes. Conclusions This study described bacterial virulence factors encoded in the genomes of bacteriophages at the community level. The results showed that the increase in microbial densities that occurs during coral reef degradation is associated with a change in the genomic repertoire of bacteriophages, specifically in the diversity and distribution of bacterial virulence genes. This suggests that phages are implicated in the rise of pathogens in disturbed marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia B Silveira
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA. .,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA. .,Department of Biology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Dr., Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA.
| | - Felipe H Coutinho
- Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Microbiología, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Apartado 18, 03550, San Juan de Alicante, Spain
| | - Giselle S Cavalcanti
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Sean Benler
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Michael P Doane
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.,Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Rd, Mosman, NSW, 2088, Australia
| | - Elizabeth A Dinsdale
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Robert A Edwards
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Ronaldo B Francini-Filho
- Centro de Biologia Marinha, Universidade de São Paulo, Rodovia Manoel Hypólito do Rego, Km 131,50, São Sebastião, SP, 11600-000, Brazil
| | - Cristiane C Thompson
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941- 599, Brazil
| | - Antoni Luque
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.,Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.,Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Forest L Rohwer
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Fabiano Thompson
- SAGE/COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941- 599, Brazil
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45
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Bednarz VN, Grover R, Ferrier-Pagès C. Elevated ammonium delays the impairment of the coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis during labile carbon pollution. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2020; 218:105360. [PMID: 31765943 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2019.105360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Labile dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a major pollutant in coastal marine environments affected by anthropogenic impacts, and may significantly contribute to coral bleaching and subsequent mortality on coastal reefs. DOC can cause bleaching indirectly through the rapid proliferation of copiotrophic and pathogenic bacteria. Here we demonstrate that labile DOC compounds can also impair the coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis by directly affecting coral physiology on both the host and algal symbiont level. In a controlled aquarium experiment, we monitored over several weeks key physiological parameters of the tropical coral Stylophora pistillata exposed to ambient and elevated labile DOC levels (0.1 and 1.0 mM) in combination with low and high nitrogen (i.e. ammonium) conditions (0.2 and 4.0 μM). At the symbiont level, DOC exposure under low ammonium availability decreased the photosynthetic efficiency accompanied by ∼75 % Chl a and ∼50 % symbiont cell reduction. The photosynthetic functioning of the symbionts recovered once the DOC enrichment ceased indicating a reversible shift between autotrophic and heterotrophic metabolism. At the host level, the assimilation of exogenous DOC sustained the tissue carbon reserves, but induced a depletion of the nitrogen reserves, indicated by ∼35 % decreased protein levels. This suggests an imbalanced exogenous carbon to nitrogen supply with nitrogen potentially limiting host metabolism on the long-term. We also demonstrate that increased ammonium availability delayed DOC-induced bleaching likely by keeping symbionts in a photosynthetically competent state, which is crucial for symbiosis maintenance and coral survival. Overall, the present study provides further insights into how coastal pollution can de-stabilize the coral-algal symbiosis and cause coral bleaching. Therefore, reducing coastal pollution and sustaining ecological integrity are critical to strengthen the resilience of coral reefs facing climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa N Bednarz
- Marine Department, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco.
| | - Renaud Grover
- Marine Department, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco
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46
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Weber L, González‐Díaz P, Armenteros M, Ferrer VM, Bretos F, Bartels E, Santoro AE, Apprill A. Microbial signatures of protected and impacted Northern Caribbean reefs: changes from Cuba to the Florida Keys. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:499-519. [PMID: 31743949 PMCID: PMC6972988 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
There are a few baseline reef-systems available for understanding the microbiology of healthy coral reefs and their surrounding seawater. Here, we examined the seawater microbial ecology of 25 Northern Caribbean reefs varying in human impact and protection in Cuba and the Florida Keys, USA, by measuring nutrient concentrations, microbial abundances, and respiration rates as well as sequencing bacterial and archaeal amplicons and community functional genes. Overall, seawater microbial composition and biogeochemistry were influenced by reef location and hydrogeography. Seawater from the highly protected 'crown jewel' offshore reefs in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba had low concentrations of nutrients and organic carbon, abundant Prochlorococcus, and high microbial community alpha diversity. Seawater from the less protected system of Los Canarreos, Cuba had elevated microbial community beta-diversity whereas waters from the most impacted nearshore reefs in the Florida Keys contained high organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations and potential microbial functions characteristic of microbialized reefs. Each reef system had distinct microbial signatures and within this context, we propose that the protection and offshore nature of Jardines de la Reina may preserve the oligotrophic paradigm and the metabolic dependence of the community on primary production by picocyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Weber
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry DepartmentWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods HoleMAUSA
- MIT‐WHOI Joint PhD Program in Biological OceanographyCambridgeMAUSA
| | | | - Maickel Armenteros
- Centro de Investigaciones MarinasUniversidad de La HabanaHabanaCuba
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y LimnologíaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoCiudad MéxicoMexico
| | - Víctor M. Ferrer
- Centro de Investigaciones MarinasUniversidad de La HabanaHabanaCuba
| | | | | | - Alyson E. Santoro
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaSanta BarbaraCAUSA
| | - Amy Apprill
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry DepartmentWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods HoleMAUSA
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47
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Silveira CB, Luque A, Roach TN, Villela H, Barno A, Green K, Reyes B, Rubio-Portillo E, Le T, Mead S, Hatay M, Vermeij MJ, Takeshita Y, Haas A, Bailey B, Rohwer F. Biophysical and physiological processes causing oxygen loss from coral reefs. eLife 2019; 8:49114. [PMID: 31793432 PMCID: PMC6890468 DOI: 10.7554/elife.49114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The microbialization of coral reefs predicts that microbial oxygen consumption will cause reef deoxygenation. Here we tested this hypothesis by analyzing reef microbial and primary producer oxygen metabolisms. Metagenomic data and in vitro incubations of bacteria with primary producer exudates showed that fleshy algae stimulate incomplete carbon oxidation metabolisms in heterotrophic bacteria. These metabolisms lead to increased cell sizes and abundances, resulting in bacteria consuming 10 times more oxygen than in coral incubations. Experiments probing the dissolved and gaseous oxygen with primary producers and bacteria together indicated the loss of oxygen through ebullition caused by heterogenous nucleation on algae surfaces. A model incorporating experimental production and loss rates predicted that microbes and ebullition can cause the loss of up to 67% of gross benthic oxygen production. This study indicates that microbial respiration and ebullition are increasingly relevant to reef deoxygenation as reefs become dominated by fleshy algae. Rising water temperatures, pollution and other factors are increasingly threatening corals and the entire reef ecosystems they build. The potential for corals to resist and recover from the stress these factors cause ultimately depends on their ability to compete against fast-growing fleshy algae that can rapidly take over the reefs. Living on the fleshy algae, the coral and in the surrounding water are communities of bacteria and other microbes that help maintain the health of the coral reef. Both corals and algae modify the chemical and physical environment of the reef to alter the composition of the microbial communities for their own benefit. Algae, for instance, release large amounts of sugars and other molecules of organic carbon into the water. These carbon molecules are then taken up by the bacteria, along with oxygen, to produce chemical energy via a process called respiration. This could cause the levels of oxygen in the water to decrease, potentially damaging the corals and creating more open space for the algae. Previous studies have revealed how communities of microbes on coral reefs use organic carbon, but it remains unclear how they affect the levels of oxygen in the reefs. To address this question, Silveira et al. used an approach called metagenomics to analyze the bacteria in samples of water from 87 reefs across the Pacific and the Caribbean, and also performed experiments with reef bacteria grown in the laboratory. The experiments showed that bacteria growing in the presence of fleshy algae became larger and more abundant than bacteria growing near corals, resulting in the water containing lower levels of oxygen. Furthermore, the fleshy algae produced bubbles of oxygen that were released from the water. Silveira et al. developed a mathematical model that predicted that these bubbles, combined with the respiration of bacteria that live near algae, caused the loss of 67% of the oxygen in the water surrounding the reef. These findings represent a fundamental step towards understanding how changes in the levels of oxygen in water affect the ability of coral reefs to resist and recover from stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia B Silveira
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States.,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States
| | - Antoni Luque
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States.,Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States.,Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States
| | - Ty Nf Roach
- Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Kāneohe, United States
| | - Helena Villela
- Department of Microbiology, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Adam Barno
- Department of Microbiology, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Kevin Green
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States
| | - Brandon Reyes
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States
| | - Esther Rubio-Portillo
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Tram Le
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States
| | - Spencer Mead
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States
| | - Mark Hatay
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States.,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States
| | - Mark Ja Vermeij
- CARMABI Foundation, Willemstad, Curaçao.,Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity andEcosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Andreas Haas
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Texel, Netherlands
| | - Barbara Bailey
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States
| | - Forest Rohwer
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States.,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States
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48
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Tebbett SB, Bellwood DR. Algal turf sediments on coral reefs: what's known and what's next. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2019; 149:110542. [PMID: 31542595 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Algal turfs are likely to rise in prominence on coral reefs in the Anthropocene. In these ecosystems the sediments bound within algal turfs will shape ecosystem functions and the services humanity can obtain from reefs. However, while interest is growing in the role of algal turf sediments, studies remain limited. In this review we provide an overview of our knowledge to-date concerning algal turf sediments on coral reefs. Specifically, we highlight what algal turf sediments are, their role in key ecosystem processes, the potential importance of algal turf sediments on Anthropocene reefs, and key knowledge gaps for future research. The evidence suggests that the management of algal turf sediments will be critically important if we are to sustain key functions and services on highly-altered, Anthropocene coral reef configurations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sterling B Tebbett
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
| | - David R Bellwood
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
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49
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Beatty DS, Valayil JM, Clements CS, Ritchie KB, Stewart FJ, Hay ME. Variable effects of local management on coral defenses against a thermally regulated bleaching pathogen. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaay1048. [PMID: 31616794 PMCID: PMC6774716 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay1048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Bleaching and disease are decimating coral reefs especially when warming promotes bleaching pathogens, such as Vibrio coralliilyticus. We demonstrate that sterilized washes from three common corals suppress V. coralliilyticus but that this defense is compromised when assays are run at higher temperatures. For a coral within the ecologically critical genus Acropora, inhibition was 75 to 154% greater among colonies from coral-dominated marine protected areas versus adjacent fished areas that were macroalgae-dominated. Acropora microbiomes were more variable within fished areas, suggesting that reef degradation may also perturb coral microbial communities. Defenses of a robust poritid coral and a weedy pocilloporid coral were not affected by reef degradation, and microbiomes were unaltered for these species. For some ecologically critical, but bleaching-susceptible, corals such as Acropora, local management to improve reef state may bolster coral resistance to global change, such as bacteria-induced coral bleaching during warming events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deanna S. Beatty
- School of Biological Sciences and Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Dr., Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Jinu Mathew Valayil
- School of Biological Sciences and Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Dr., Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Cody S. Clements
- School of Biological Sciences and Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Dr., Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Kim B. Ritchie
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, 801 Carteret St., Beaufort, SC 29902, USA
| | - Frank J. Stewart
- School of Biological Sciences and Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Dr., Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Mark E. Hay
- School of Biological Sciences and Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Dr., Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
- Corresponding author.
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50
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Liao Z, Yu K, Wang Y, Huang X, Xu L. Coral-algal interactions at Weizhou Island in the northern South China Sea: variations by taxa and the exacerbating impact of sediments trapped in turf algae. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6590. [PMID: 30886777 PMCID: PMC6420801 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Competitive interactions between corals and benthic algae are increasingly frequent on degrading coral reefs, but the processes and mechanisms surrounding the interactions, as well as the exacerbating effects of sediments trapped in turf algae, are poorly described. We surveyed the frequency, proportion, and outcomes of interactions between benthic algae (turf algae and macroalgae) and 631 corals (genera: Porites, Favites, Favia, Platygyra, and Pavona) on a degenerating reef in the northern South China Sea, with a specific focus on the negative effects of algal contact on corals. Our data indicated that turf algae were the main algal competitors for each surveyed coral genus and the proportion of algal contact along the coral edges varied significantly among the coral genera and the algal types. The proportions of algal wins between corals and turf algae or macroalgae differed significantly among coral genera. Compared to macroalgae, turf algae consistently yielded more algal wins and fewer coral wins on all coral genera. Amongst the coral genera, Porites was the most easily damaged by algal competition. The proportions of turf algal wins on the coral genera increased 1.1–1.9 times in the presence of sediments. Furthermore, the proportions of algal wins on massive and encrusting corals significantly increased with the combination of sediments and turf algae as the algal type. However, the variation in proportions of algal wins between massive and encrusting corals disappeared as sediments became trapped in turf algae. Sediments bound within turf algae further induced damage to corals and reduced the competitive advantage of the different coral growth forms in their competitive interactions with adjacent turf algae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiheng Liao
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Kefu Yu
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Yinghui Wang
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Xueyong Huang
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,School of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Lijia Xu
- Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.,School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
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