1
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Powell ME, McCoy SJ. Divide and conquer: Spatial and temporal resource partitioning structures benthic cyanobacterial mats. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2024; 60:254-272. [PMID: 38467467 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Benthic cyanobacterial mats are increasing in abundance worldwide with the potential to degrade ecosystem structure and function. Understanding mat community dynamics is thus critical for predicting mat growth and proliferation and for mitigating any associated negative effects. Carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling are the predominant forms of nutrient cycling discussed within the literature, while metabolic cooperation and viral interactions are understudied. Although many forms of nutrient cycling in mats have been assessed, the links between niche dynamics, microbial interactions, and nutrient cycling are not well described. Here, we present an updated review on how nutrient cycling and microbial community interactions in mats are structured by resource partitioning via spatial and temporal heterogeneity and succession. We assess community interactions and nutrient cycling at both intramat and metacommunity scales. Additionally, we present ideas and recommendations for research in this area, highlighting top-down control, boundary layers, and metabolic cooperation as important future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya E Powell
- Environment, Ecology and Energy Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sophie J McCoy
- Environment, Ecology and Energy Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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2
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Chai G, Li J, Li Z. The interactive effects of ocean acidification and warming on bioeroding sponge Spheciospongia vesparium microbiome indicated by metatranscriptomics. Microbiol Res 2024; 278:127542. [PMID: 37979302 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2023.127542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Global climate change will cause coral reefs decline and is expected to increase the reef erosion potential of bioeroding sponges. Microbial symbionts are essential for the overall fitness and survival of sponge holobionts in changing ocean environments. However, we rarely know about the impacts of ocean warming and acidification on bioeroding sponge microbiome. Here, the structural and functional changes of the bioeroding sponge Spheciospongia vesparium microbiome, as well as its recovery potential, were investigated at the RNA level in a laboratory system simulating 32 °C and pH 7.7. Based on metatranscriptome analysis, acidification showed no significant impact, while warming or simultaneous warming and acidification disrupted the sponge microbiome. Warming caused microbial dysbiosis and recruited potentially opportunistic and pathogenic members of Nesiotobacter, Oceanospirillaceae, Deltaproteobacteria, Epsilonproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Moreover, warming disrupted nutrient exchange and molecular interactions in the sponge holobiont, accompanied by stimulation of virulence activity and anaerobic metabolism including denitrification and dissimilatory reduction of nitrate and sulfate to promote sponge necrosis. Particularly, the interaction between acidification and warming alleviated the negative effects of warming and enhanced the Rhodobacteraceae-driven ethylmalonyl-CoA pathway and sulfur-oxidizing multienzyme system. The microbiome could not recover during the experiment period after warming or combined stress was removed. This study suggests that warming or combined warming and acidification will irreversibly destabilize the S. vesparium microbial community structure and function, and provides insight into the molecular mechanisms of the interactive effects of acidification and warming on the sponge microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangjun Chai
- Marine Biotechnology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jinlong Li
- Marine Biotechnology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zhiyong Li
- Marine Biotechnology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
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3
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O'Brien PA, Tan S, Frade PR, Robbins SJ, Engelberts JP, Bell SC, Vanwonterghem I, Miller DJ, Webster NS, Zhang G, Bourne DG. Validation of key sponge symbiont pathways using genome-centric metatranscriptomics. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:3207-3224. [PMID: 37732569 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16509] [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: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
The sponge microbiome underpins host function through provision and recycling of essential nutrients in a nutrient poor environment. Genomic data suggest that carbohydrate degradation, carbon fixation, nitrogen metabolism, sulphur metabolism and supplementation of B-vitamins are central microbial functions. However, validation beyond the genomic potential of sponge symbiont pathways is rarely explored. To evaluate metagenomic predictions, we sequenced the metagenomes and metatranscriptomes of three common coral reef sponges: Ircinia ramosa, Ircinia microconulosa and Phyllospongia foliascens. Multiple carbohydrate active enzymes were expressed by Poribacteria, Bacteroidota and Cyanobacteria symbionts, suggesting these lineages have a central role in assimilating dissolved organic matter. Expression of entire pathways for carbon fixation and multiple sulphur compound transformations were observed in all sponges. Gene expression for anaerobic nitrogen metabolism (denitrification and nitrate reduction) were more common than aerobic metabolism (nitrification), where only the I. ramosa microbiome expressed the nitrification pathway. Finally, while expression of the biosynthetic pathways for B-vitamins was common, the expression of additional transporter genes was far more limited. Overall, we highlight consistencies and disparities between metagenomic and metatranscriptomic results when inferring microbial activity, while uncovering new microbial taxa that contribute to the health of their sponge host via nutrient exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A O'Brien
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- AIMS@JCU, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Shangjin Tan
- BGI-Shenzhen, Beishan Industrial Zone, Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Steven J Robbins
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - J Pamela Engelberts
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Microbiome Research, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sara C Bell
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Inka Vanwonterghem
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - David J Miller
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Nicole S Webster
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- AIMS@JCU, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Guojie Zhang
- Centre for Evolutionary & Organismal Biology and Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
| | - David G Bourne
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- AIMS@JCU, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
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4
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Howard RD, Schul MD, Rodriguez Bravo LM, Altieri AH, Meyer JL. Shifts in the coral microbiome in response to in situ experimental deoxygenation. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0057723. [PMID: 37916820 PMCID: PMC10686059 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00577-23] [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: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Marine hypoxia is a threat for corals but has remained understudied in tropical regions where coral reefs are abundant. Though microbial symbioses can alleviate the effects of ecological stress, we do not yet understand the taxonomic or functional response of the coral microbiome to hypoxia. In this study, we experimentally lowered oxygen levels around Siderastrea siderea and Agaricia lamarcki colonies in situ to observe changes in the coral microbiome in response to deoxygenation. Our results show that hypoxia triggers a stochastic change of the microbiome overall, with some bacterial families changing deterministically after just 48 hours of exposure. These families represent an increase in anaerobic and opportunistic taxa in the microbiomes of both coral species. Thus, marine deoxygenation destabilizes the coral microbiome and increases bacterial opportunism. This work provides novel and fundamental knowledge of the microbial response in coral during hypoxia and may provide insight into holobiont function during stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel D. Howard
- Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Monica D. Schul
- Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Lucia M. Rodriguez Bravo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, Panama
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Andrew H. Altieri
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, Panama
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Julie L. Meyer
- Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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5
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Leiva C, Pérez-Portela R, Lemer S. Genomic signatures suggesting adaptation to ocean acidification in a coral holobiont from volcanic CO 2 seeps. Commun Biol 2023; 6:769. [PMID: 37481685 PMCID: PMC10363134 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05103-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Ocean acidification, caused by anthropogenic CO2 emissions, is predicted to have major consequences for reef-building corals, jeopardizing the scaffolding of the most biodiverse marine habitats. However, whether corals can adapt to ocean acidification and how remains unclear. We addressed these questions by re-examining transcriptome and genome data of Acropora millepora coral holobionts from volcanic CO2 seeps with end-of-century pH levels. We show that adaptation to ocean acidification is a wholistic process involving the three main compartments of the coral holobiont. We identified 441 coral host candidate adaptive genes involved in calcification, response to acidification, and symbiosis; population genetic differentiation in dinoflagellate photosymbionts; and consistent transcriptional microbiome activity despite microbial community shifts. Coral holobionts from natural analogues to future ocean conditions harbor beneficial genetic variants with far-reaching rapid adaptation potential. In the face of climate change, these populations require immediate conservation strategies as they could become key to coral reef survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Leiva
- University of Guam Marine Laboratory, 303 University Drive, 96923, Mangilao, Guam, USA.
| | - Rocío Pérez-Portela
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sarah Lemer
- University of Guam Marine Laboratory, 303 University Drive, 96923, Mangilao, Guam, USA
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6
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Wada N, Iguchi A, Urabe Y, Yoshioka Y, Abe N, Takase K, Hayashi S, Kawanabe S, Sato Y, Tang SL, Mano N. Microbial mat compositions and localization patterns explain the virulence of black band disease in corals. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2023; 9:15. [PMID: 37015942 PMCID: PMC10073141 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-023-00381-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Black band disease (BBD) in corals is characterized by a distinctive, band-like microbial mat, which spreads across the tissues and often kills infected colonies. The microbial mat is dominated by cyanobacteria but also commonly contains sulfide-oxidizing bacteria (SOB), sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), and other microbes. The migration rate in BBD varies across different environmental conditions, including temperature, light, and pH. However, whether variations in the migration rates reflect differences in the microbial consortium within the BBD mat remains unknown. Here, we show that the micro-scale surface structure, bacterial composition, and spatial distribution differed across BBD lesions with different migration rates. The migration rate was positively correlated with the relative abundance of potential SOBs belonging to Arcobacteraceae localized in the middle layer within the mat and negatively correlated with the relative abundance of other potential SOBs belonging to Rhodobacteraceae. Our study highlights the microbial composition in BBD as an important determinant of virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naohisa Wada
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, No.128, Sec 2, Academia Rd, Nangang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Department of Marine Science and Resources, College of Bioresource Science, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0813, Japan
| | - Akira Iguchi
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan
- Research Laboratory on Environmentally-conscious Developments and Technologies [E-code], National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8567, Japan
| | - Yuta Urabe
- Department of Marine Science and Resources, College of Bioresource Science, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0813, Japan
| | - Yuki Yoshioka
- Department of Bioresources Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College, 905 Henoko, Nago-City, Okinawa, 905-2192, Japan
| | - Natsumi Abe
- Department of Marine Science and Resources, College of Bioresource Science, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0813, Japan
| | - Kazuki Takase
- Department of Marine Science and Resources, College of Bioresource Science, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0813, Japan
| | - Shuji Hayashi
- Department of Marine Science and Resources, College of Bioresource Science, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0813, Japan
| | - Saeko Kawanabe
- Department of Marine Science and Resources, College of Bioresource Science, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0813, Japan
| | - Yui Sato
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia
| | - Sen-Lin Tang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, No.128, Sec 2, Academia Rd, Nangang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
| | - Nobuhiro Mano
- Department of Marine Science and Resources, College of Bioresource Science, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0813, Japan.
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7
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Mohamed AR, Ochsenkühn MA, Kazlak AM, Moustafa A, Amin SA. The coral microbiome: towards an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of coral-microbiota interactions. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2023; 47:fuad005. [PMID: 36882224 PMCID: PMC10045912 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Corals live in a complex, multipartite symbiosis with diverse microbes across kingdoms, some of which are implicated in vital functions, such as those related to resilience against climate change. However, knowledge gaps and technical challenges limit our understanding of the nature and functional significance of complex symbiotic relationships within corals. Here, we provide an overview of the complexity of the coral microbiome focusing on taxonomic diversity and functions of well-studied and cryptic microbes. Mining the coral literature indicate that while corals collectively harbour a third of all marine bacterial phyla, known bacterial symbionts and antagonists of corals represent a minute fraction of this diversity and that these taxa cluster into select genera, suggesting selective evolutionary mechanisms enabled these bacteria to gain a niche within the holobiont. Recent advances in coral microbiome research aimed at leveraging microbiome manipulation to increase coral's fitness to help mitigate heat stress-related mortality are discussed. Then, insights into the potential mechanisms through which microbiota can communicate with and modify host responses are examined by describing known recognition patterns, potential microbially derived coral epigenome effector proteins and coral gene regulation. Finally, the power of omics tools used to study corals are highlighted with emphasis on an integrated host-microbiota multiomics framework to understand the underlying mechanisms during symbiosis and climate change-driven dysbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin R Mohamed
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Michael A Ochsenkühn
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ahmed M Kazlak
- Systems Genomics Laboratory, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Biotechnology Graduate Program, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Moustafa
- Systems Genomics Laboratory, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Biotechnology Graduate Program, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
- Department of Biology, American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Shady A Amin
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology (CGSB), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
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8
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Puntin G, Sweet M, Fraune S, Medina M, Sharp K, Weis VM, Ziegler M. Harnessing the Power of Model Organisms To Unravel Microbial Functions in the Coral Holobiont. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2022; 86:e0005322. [PMID: 36287022 PMCID: PMC9769930 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00053-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Stony corals build the framework of coral reefs, ecosystems of immense ecological and economic importance. The existence of these ecosystems is threatened by climate change and other anthropogenic stressors that manifest in microbial dysbiosis such as coral bleaching and disease, often leading to coral mortality. Despite a significant amount of research, the mechanisms ultimately underlying these destructive phenomena, and what could prevent or mitigate them, remain to be resolved. This is mostly due to practical challenges in experimentation on corals and the highly complex nature of the coral holobiont that also includes bacteria, archaea, protists, and viruses. While the overall importance of these partners is well recognized, their specific contributions to holobiont functioning and their interspecific dynamics remain largely unexplored. Here, we review the potential of adopting model organisms as more tractable systems to address these knowledge gaps. We draw on parallels from the broader biological and biomedical fields to guide the establishment, implementation, and integration of new and emerging model organisms with the aim of addressing the specific needs of coral research. We evaluate the cnidarian models Hydra, Aiptasia, Cassiopea, and Astrangia poculata; review the fast-evolving field of coral tissue and cell cultures; and propose a framework for the establishment of "true" tropical reef-building coral models. Based on this assessment, we also suggest future research to address key aspects limiting our ability to understand and hence improve the response of reef-building corals to future ocean conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Puntin
- Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Marine Holobiomics Lab, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Michael Sweet
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Fraune
- Institute for Zoology and Organismic Interactions, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Mónica Medina
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Koty Sharp
- Department of Biology, Marine Biology, and Environmental Science, Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Virginia M. Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Maren Ziegler
- Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Marine Holobiomics Lab, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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9
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Cissell EC, Eckrich CE, McCoy SJ. Cyanobacterial mats as benthic reservoirs and vectors for coral black band disease pathogens. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2692. [PMID: 35707998 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The concurrent rise in the prevalence of conspicuous benthic cyanobacterial mats and the incidence of coral diseases independently mark major axes of degradation of coral reefs globally. Recent advances have uncovered the potential for the existence of interactions between the expanding cover of cyanobacterial mats and coral disease, especially black band disease (BBD), and this intersection represents both an urgent conservation concern and a critical challenge for future research. Here, we propose links between the transmission of BBD and benthic cyanobacterial mats. We provide molecular and ecophysiological evidence suggesting that cyanobacterial mats may create and maintain physically favorable benthic refugia for BBD pathogens while directly harboring BBD precursor assemblages, and discuss how mats may serve as direct (mediated via contact) and indirect (mediated via predator-prey-pathogen relationships) vectors for BBD pathogens. Finally, we identify and outline future priority research directions that are aligned with actionable management practices and priorities to support evidence-based coral conservation practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan C Cissell
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Caren E Eckrich
- Stichting Nationale Parken (STINAPA) Bonaire, Kralendijk, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands
| | - Sophie J McCoy
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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10
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Lima LFO, Alker AT, Papudeshi B, Morris MM, Edwards RA, de Putron SJ, Dinsdale EA. Coral and Seawater Metagenomes Reveal Key Microbial Functions to Coral Health and Ecosystem Functioning Shaped at Reef Scale. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022:10.1007/s00248-022-02094-6. [PMID: 35965269 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-022-02094-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The coral holobiont is comprised of a highly diverse microbial community that provides key services to corals such as protection against pathogens and nutrient cycling. The coral surface mucus layer (SML) microbiome is very sensitive to external changes, as it constitutes the direct interface between the coral host and the environment. Here, we investigate whether the bacterial taxonomic and functional profiles in the coral SML are shaped by the local reef zone and explore their role in coral health and ecosystem functioning. The analysis was conducted using metagenomes and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) associated with the coral Pseudodiploria strigosa and the water column from two naturally distinct reef environments in Bermuda: inner patch reefs exposed to a fluctuating thermal regime and the more stable outer reefs. The microbial community structure in the coral SML varied according to the local environment, both at taxonomic and functional levels. The coral SML microbiome from inner reefs provides more gene functions that are involved in nutrient cycling (e.g., photosynthesis, phosphorus metabolism, sulfur assimilation) and those that are related to higher levels of microbial activity, competition, and stress response. In contrast, the coral SML microbiome from outer reefs contained genes indicative of a carbohydrate-rich mucus composition found in corals exposed to less stressful temperatures and showed high proportions of microbial gene functions that play a potential role in coral disease, such as degradation of lignin-derived compounds and sulfur oxidation. The fluctuating environment in the inner patch reefs of Bermuda could be driving a more beneficial coral SML microbiome, potentially increasing holobiont resilience to environmental changes and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laís F O Lima
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- College of Biological Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Amanda T Alker
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Bhavya Papudeshi
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Megan M Morris
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Robert A Edwards
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | | | - Elizabeth A Dinsdale
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
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11
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Campos AB, Cavalcante LC, de Azevedo AR, Loiola M, Silva AET, Ara A, Meirelles PM. CPR and DPANN Have an Overlooked Role in Corals' Microbial Community Structure. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 83:252-255. [PMID: 33758981 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01737-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how microbial communities are structured in coral holobionts is important to estimate local and global impacts and provide efficient environment management strategies. Several studies investigated the relationship between corals and their microbial communities, including the environmental drivers of shifts in this relationship, associated with diseases and coral cover loss. However, these studies are often geographically or taxonomically restricted and usually focused on the most abundant microbial groups, neglecting the rare biosphere, including archaea in the group DPANN and the recently discovered bacterial members of the candidate phyla radiation (CPR). Although it is known that rare microbes can play essential roles in several environments, we still lack understanding about which taxa comprise the rare biosphere of corals' microbiome. Here, we investigated the host-related and technical factors influencing coral microbial community structure and the importance of CPR and DPANN in this context by analyzing more than a hundred coral metagenomes from independent studies worldwide. We show that coral genera are the main biotic factor shaping coral microbial communities. We also detected several CPR and DPANN phyla comprising corals' rare biosphere for the first time and showed that they significantly contribute to shaping coral microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Barreto Campos
- Institute of Biology, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
- National Institute for Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Studies in Ecology and Evolution (IN-TREE), Salvador, Brazil
| | | | - Arthur R de Azevedo
- Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Miguel Loiola
- Institute of Biology, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Amaro Emiliano Trindade Silva
- National Institute for Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Studies in Ecology and Evolution (IN-TREE), Salvador, Brazil
| | - Anderson Ara
- Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Pedro Milet Meirelles
- Institute of Biology, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
- National Institute for Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Studies in Ecology and Evolution (IN-TREE), Salvador, Brazil.
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12
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The microbial profile of a tissue necrosis affecting the Atlantic invasive coral Tubastraea tagusensis. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9828. [PMID: 33972618 PMCID: PMC8110780 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89296-z] [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: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The Southwestern Atlantic rocky reef ecosystems are undergoing significant changes due to sun-corals (Tubastraea tagusensis and T. coccinea) invasion. At Búzios Island, on the northern coast of São Paulo State, where the abundance of T. tagusensis is particularly high, some colonies are displaying tissue necrosis, a phenomenon never reported for this invasive nor any other azooxanthellate coral species. Using next-generation sequencing, we sought to understand the relationship between T. tagusensis tissue necrosis and its microbiota. Thus, through amplicon sequencing, we studied both healthy and diseased coral colonies. Results indicate a wide variety of bacteria associated with healthy colonies and an even higher diversity associated with those corals presenting tissue necrosis, which displayed nearly 25% more microorganisms. Also, as the microbial community associated with the seven healthy colonies did not alter composition significantly, it was possible to verify the microbial succession during different stages of tissue necrosis (i.e., initial, intermediate, and advanced). Comparing the microbiome from healthy corals to those in early tissue necrosis suggests 21 potential pathogens, which might act as the promoters of such disease.
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13
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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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14
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Clements CS, Burns AS, Stewart FJ, Hay ME. Parasite-host ecology: the limited impacts of an intimate enemy on host microbiomes. Anim Microbiome 2020; 2:42. [PMID: 33499998 PMCID: PMC7807496 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-020-00061-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impacts of biotic stressors, such as consumers, on coral microbiomes have gained attention as corals decline worldwide. Corallivore feeding can alter coral microbiomes in ways that contribute to dysbiosis, but feeding strategies are diverse - complicating generalizations about the nature of consumer impacts on coral microbiomes. RESULTS In field experiments, feeding by Coralliophila violacea, a parasitic snail that suppresses coral growth, altered the microbiome of its host, Porites cylindrica, but these impacts were spatially constrained. Alterations in microbial community composition and variability were largely restricted to snail feeding scars; basal or distal areas ~ 1.5 cm or 6-8 cm away, respectively, were largely unaltered. Feeding scars were enriched in taxa common to stressed corals (e.g. Flavobacteriaceae, Rhodobacteraceae) and depauperate in putative beneficial symbionts (e.g. Endozoicomonadaceae) compared to locations that lacked feeding. CONCLUSIONS Previous studies that assessed consumer impacts on coral microbiomes suggested that feeding disrupts microbial communities, potentially leading to dysbiosis, but those studies involved mobile corallivores that move across and among numerous individual hosts. Sedentary parasites like C. violacea that spend long intervals with individual hosts and are dependent on hosts for food and shelter may minimize damage to host microbiomes to assure continued host health and thus exploitation. More mobile consumers that forage across numerous hosts should not experience these constraints. Thus, stability or disruption of microbiomes on attacked corals may vary based on the foraging strategy of coral consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody S Clements
- Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0230, USA.
| | - Andrew S Burns
- Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Drive, 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
- Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0230, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717-3520, USA
| | - Mark E Hay
- Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, and Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0230, USA
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15
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Speare L, Davies SW, Balmonte JP, Baumann J, Castillo KD. Patterns of environmental variability influence coral-associated bacterial and algal communities on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:2334-2348. [PMID: 32497352 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A coral's capacity to alter its microbial symbionts may enhance its fitness in the face of climate change. Recent work predicts exposure to high environmental variability may increase coral resilience and adaptability to future climate conditions. However, how this heightened environmental variability impacts coral-associated microbial communities remains largely unexplored. Here, we examined the bacterial and algal symbionts associated with two coral species of the genus Siderastrea with distinct life history strategies from three reef sites on the Belize Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System with low or high environmental variability. Our results reveal bacterial community structure, as well as alpha- and beta-diversity patterns, vary by host species. Differences in bacterial communities between host species were partially explained by high abundance of Deltaproteobacteria and Rhodospirillales and high bacterial diversity in Siderastrea radians. Our findings also suggest Siderastrea spp. have dynamic core bacterial communities that likely drive differences observed in the entire bacterial community, which may play a critical role in rapid acclimatization to environmental change. Unlike the bacterial community, Symbiodiniaceae composition was only distinct between host species at high thermal variability sites, suggesting that different factors shape bacterial versus algal communities within the coral holobiont. Our findings shed light on how domain-specific shifts in dynamic microbiomes may allow for unique methods of enhanced host fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Speare
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sarah W Davies
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John P Balmonte
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Ecology and Genetics - Limnology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Justin Baumann
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Karl D Castillo
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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16
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Mhuantong W, Nuryadi H, Trianto A, Sabdono A, Tangphatsornruang S, Eurwilaichitr L, Kanokratana P, Champreda V. Comparative analysis of bacterial communities associated with healthy and diseased corals in the Indonesian sea. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8137. [PMID: 31875145 PMCID: PMC6925950 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Coral reef ecosystems are impacted by climate change and human activities, such as increasing coastal development, overfishing, sewage and other pollutant discharge, and consequent eutrophication, which triggers increasing incidents of diseases and deterioration of corals worldwide. In this study, bacterial communities associated with four species of corals: Acropora aspera, Acropora formosa, Cyphastrea sp., and Isopora sp. in the healthy and disease stages with different diseases were compared using tagged 16S rRNA sequencing. In total, 59 bacterial phyla, 190 orders, and 307 genera were assigned in coral metagenomes where Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were pre-dominated followed by Bacteroidetes together with Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Lentisphaerae as minor taxa. Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) showed separated clustering of bacterial diversity in healthy and infected groups for individual coral species. Fusibacter was found as the major bacterial genus across all corals. The lower number of Fusibacter was found in A. aspera infected with white band disease and Isopora sp. with white plaque disease, but marked increases of Vibrio and Acrobacter, respectively, were observed. This was in contrast to A. formosa infected by a black band and Cyphastrea sp. infected by yellow blotch diseases which showed an increasing abundance of Fusibacter but a decrease in WH1-8 bacteria. Overall, infection was shown to result in disturbance in the complexity and structure of the associated bacterial microbiomes which can be relevant to the pathogenicity of the microbes associated with infected corals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wuttichai Mhuantong
- Biorefinery and Bioproduct Technology Research Group, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Handung Nuryadi
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
| | - Agus Trianto
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
| | - Agus Sabdono
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
| | | | - Lily Eurwilaichitr
- Biorefinery and Bioproduct Technology Research Group, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Pattanop Kanokratana
- Biorefinery and Bioproduct Technology Research Group, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Verawat Champreda
- Biorefinery and Bioproduct Technology Research Group, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Pathum Thani, Thailand
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17
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Sweet M, Burian A, Fifer J, Bulling M, Elliott D, Raymundo L. Compositional homogeneity in the pathobiome of a new, slow-spreading coral disease. MICROBIOME 2019; 7:139. [PMID: 31752998 PMCID: PMC6873542 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0759-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coral reefs face unprecedented declines in diversity and cover, a development largely attributed to climate change-induced bleaching and subsequent disease outbreaks. Coral-associated microbiomes may strongly influence the fitness of their hosts and alter heat tolerance and disease susceptibility of coral colonies. Here, we describe a new coral disease found in Micronesia and present a detailed assessment of infection-driven changes in the coral microbiome. RESULTS Combining field monitoring and histological, microscopic and next-generation barcoding assessments, we demonstrate that the outbreak of the disease, named 'grey-patch disease', is associated with the establishment of cyanobacterial biofilm overgrowing coral tissue. The disease is characterised by slow progression rates, with coral tissue sometimes growing back over the GPD biofilm. Network analysis of the corals' microbiome highlighted the clustering of specific microbes which appeared to benefit from the onset of disease, resulting in the formation of 'infection clusters' in the microbiomes of apparently healthy corals. CONCLUSIONS Our results appear to be in contrast to the recently proposed Anna-Karenina principle, which states that disturbances (such as disease) trigger chaotic dynamics in microbial communities and increase β-diversity. Here, we show significantly higher community similarity (compositional homogeneity) in the pathobiome of diseased corals, compared to the microbiome associated with apparently healthy tissue. A possible explanation for this pattern is strong competition between the pathogenic community and those associated with the 'healthy' coral holobiont, homogenising the composition of the pathobiome. Further, one of our key findings is that multiple agents appear to be involved in degrading the corals' defences causing the onset of this disease. This supports recent findings indicating a need for a shift from the one-pathogen-one-disease paradigm to exploring the importance of multiple pathogenic players in any given disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Sweet
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, UK.
| | - Alfred Burian
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - James Fifer
- Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU, 96923, Guam
| | - Mark Bulling
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - David Elliott
- Aquatic Research Facility, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - Laurie Raymundo
- Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU, 96923, Guam
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18
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Wismer S, Tebbett SB, Streit RP, Bellwood DR. Spatial mismatch in fish and coral loss following 2016 mass coral bleaching. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 650:1487-1498. [PMID: 30308835 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Record-breaking temperatures between 2015 and 2016 led to unprecedented pan-tropical bleaching of scleractinian corals. On the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), the effects were most pronounced in the remote, northern region, where over 90% of reefs exhibited bleaching. Mass bleaching that results in widespread coral mortality represents a major disturbance event for reef organisms, including reef fishes. Using 133 replicate 1 m2 quadrats, we quantified short-term changes in coral communities and spatially associated reef fish assemblages, at Lizard Island, Australia, in response to the 2016 mass bleaching event. Quadrats were spatially matched, permitting repeated sampling of fish and corals in the same areas: before, during and 6 months after mass bleaching. As expected, we documented a significant decrease in live coral cover. Subsequent decreases in fish abundance were primarily driven by coral-associated damselfishes. However, these losses, were relatively minor (37% decrease), especially compared to the magnitude of Acropora loss (>95% relative decrease). Furthermore, at a local, 1 m2 scale, we documented a strong spatial mismatch between fish and coral loss. Post-bleaching fish losses were not highest in quadrats that experienced the greatest loss of live coral. Nor were fish losses associated with a proliferation of cyanobacteria. Several sites did, however, exhibit increases in fish abundance suggesting substantial spatial movements. These results challenge common assumptions and emphasize the need for caution when ascribing causality to observed patterns of fish loss at larger spatial scales. Our results highlight the potential for short-term resilience to climate change, in fishes, through local migration and habitat plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Wismer
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Sterling B Tebbett
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Robert P Streit
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - David R Bellwood
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.
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19
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Buerger P, Weynberg KD, Wood-Charlson EM, Sato Y, Willis BL, van Oppen MJH. Novel T4 bacteriophages associated with black band disease in corals. Environ Microbiol 2018; 21:1969-1979. [PMID: 30277308 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Research into causative agents underlying coral disease have focused primarily on bacteria, whereas potential roles of viruses have been largely unaddressed. Bacteriophages may contribute to diseases through the lysogenic introduction of virulence genes into bacteria, or prevent diseases through lysis of bacterial pathogens. To identify candidate phages that may influence the pathogenicity of black band disease (BBD), communities of bacteria (16S rRNA) and T4-bacteriophages (gp23) were simultaneously profiled with amplicon sequencing among BBD-lesions and healthy-coral-tissue of Montipora hispida, as well as seawater (study site: the central Great Barrier Reef). Bacterial community compositions were distinct among BBD-lesions, healthy coral tissue and seawater samples, as observed in previous studies. Surprisingly, however, viral beta diversities based on both operational taxonomic unit (OTU)-compositions and overall viral community compositions of assigned taxa did not differ statistically between the BBD-lesions and healthy coral tissue. Nonetheless, relative abundances of three bacteriophage OTUs, affiliated to Cyanophage PRSM6 and Prochlorococcus phages P-SSM2, were significantly higher in BBD-lesions than in healthy tissue. These OTUs associated with BBD samples suggest the presence of bacteriophages that infect members of the cyanobacteria-dominated BBD community, and thus have potential roles in BBD pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Buerger
- AIMS@JCU, Townsville, QLD, 4814, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, 4810, QLD, Australia.,James Cook University, College of Science and Engineering, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - K D Weynberg
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, 4810, QLD, Australia
| | - E M Wood-Charlson
- Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822
| | - Y Sato
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, 4810, QLD, Australia
| | - B L Willis
- James Cook University, College of Science and Engineering, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.,ARC CoE for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - M J H van Oppen
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, 4810, QLD, Australia.,School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, VIC, Australia
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20
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Kegler HF, Hassenrück C, Kegler P, Jennerjahn TC, Lukman M, Jompa J, Gärdes A. Small tropical islands with dense human population: differences in water quality of near-shore waters are associated with distinct bacterial communities. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4555. [PMID: 29761035 PMCID: PMC5944435 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Water quality deterioration caused by an enrichment in inorganic and organic matter due to anthropogenic inputs is one of the major local threats to coral reefs in Indonesia. However, even though bacteria are important mediators in coral reef ecosystems, little is known about the response of individual taxa and whole bacterial communities to these anthropogenic inputs. The present study is the first to investigate how bacterial community composition responds to small-scale changes in water quality in several coral reef habitats of the Spermonde Archipelago including the water column, particles, and back-reef sediments, on a densely populated and an uninhabited island. The main aims were to elucidate if (a) water quality indicators and organic matter concentrations differ between the uninhabited and the densely populated island of the archipelago, and (b) if there are differences in bacterial community composition in back-reef sediments and in the water column, which are associated with differences in water quality. Several key water quality parameters, such as inorganic nitrate and phosphate, chlorophyll a, and transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) were significantly higher at the inhabited than at the uninhabited island. Bacterial communities in sediments and particle-attached communities were significantly different between the two islands with bacterial taxa commonly associated with nutrient and organic matter-rich conditions occurring in higher proportions at the inhabited island. Within the individual reef habitats, variations in bacterial community composition between the islands were associated with differences in water quality. We also observed that copiotrophic, opportunistic bacterial taxa were enriched at the inhabited island with its higher chlorophyll a, dissolved organic carbon and TEP concentrations. Given the increasing strain on tropical coastal ecosystems, this study suggests that effluents from densely populated islands lacking sewage treatment can alter bacterial communities that may be important for coral reef ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hauke F. Kegler
- Department of Biogeochemistry and Geology, Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Biology and Chemistry (FB2), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Christiane Hassenrück
- Department of Biogeochemistry and Geology, Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
| | - Pia Kegler
- Department of Ecology, Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
| | - Tim C. Jennerjahn
- Department of Biogeochemistry and Geology, Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
| | - Muhammad Lukman
- Department of Marine Science, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, Indonesia
| | - Jamaluddin Jompa
- Department of Marine Science, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, Indonesia
| | - Astrid Gärdes
- Department of Biogeochemistry and Geology, Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
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21
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van de Water JAJM, Allemand D, Ferrier-Pagès C. Host-microbe interactions in octocoral holobionts - recent advances and perspectives. MICROBIOME 2018; 6:64. [PMID: 29609655 PMCID: PMC5880021 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-018-0431-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Octocorals are one of the most ubiquitous benthic organisms in marine ecosystems from the shallow tropics to the Antarctic deep sea, providing habitat for numerous organisms as well as ecosystem services for humans. In contrast to the holobionts of reef-building scleractinian corals, the holobionts of octocorals have received relatively little attention, despite the devastating effects of disease outbreaks on many populations. Recent advances have shown that octocorals possess remarkably stable bacterial communities on geographical and temporal scales as well as under environmental stress. This may be the result of their high capacity to regulate their microbiome through the production of antimicrobial and quorum-sensing interfering compounds. Despite decades of research relating to octocoral-microbe interactions, a synthesis of this expanding field has not been conducted to date. We therefore provide an urgently needed review on our current knowledge about octocoral holobionts. Specifically, we briefly introduce the ecological role of octocorals and the concept of holobiont before providing detailed overviews of (I) the symbiosis between octocorals and the algal symbiont Symbiodinium; (II) the main fungal, viral, and bacterial taxa associated with octocorals; (III) the dominance of the microbial assemblages by a few microbial species, the stability of these associations, and their evolutionary history with the host organism; (IV) octocoral diseases; (V) how octocorals use their immune system to fight pathogens; (VI) microbiome regulation by the octocoral and its associated microbes; and (VII) the discovery of natural products with microbiome regulatory activities. Finally, we present our perspectives on how the field of octocoral research should move forward, and the recognition that these organisms may be suitable model organisms to study coral-microbe symbioses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Denis Allemand
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine 1er, 98000, Monaco, Monaco
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22
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McCormick MI, Barry RP, Allan BJM. Algae associated with coral degradation affects risk assessment in coral reef fishes. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16937. [PMID: 29208978 PMCID: PMC5717098 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17197-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Habitat degradation alters the chemical landscape through which information about community dynamics is transmitted. Olfactory information is crucial for risk assessment in aquatic organisms as predators release odours when they capture prey that lead to an alarm response in conspecific prey. Recent studies show some coral reef fishes are unable to use alarm odours when surrounded by dead-degraded coral. Our study examines the spatial and temporal dynamics of this alarm odour-nullifying effect, and which substratum types may be responsible. Field experiments showed that settlement-stage damselfish were not able to detect alarm odours within 2 m downcurrent of degraded coral, and that the antipredator response was re-established 20-40 min after transferral to live coral. Laboratory experiments indicate that the chemicals from common components of the degraded habitats, the cyanobacteria, Okeania sp., and diatom, Pseudo-nitzschia sp.prevented an alarm odour response. The same nullifying effect was found for the common red algae, Galaxauria robusta, suggesting that the problem is of a broader nature than previously realised. Those fish species best able to compensate for a lack of olfactory risk information at key times will be those potentially most resilient to the effects of coral degradation that operate through this mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark I McCormick
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and Department of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia.
| | - Randall P Barry
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and Department of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia
| | - Bridie J M Allan
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and Department of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia
- Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway
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23
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Mera H, Bourne DG. Disentangling causation: complex roles of coral-associated microorganisms in disease. Environ Microbiol 2017; 20:431-449. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hanaka Mera
- College of Science and Engineering; James Cook University; Townsville Queensland 4811, Australia
| | - David G. Bourne
- College of Science and Engineering; James Cook University; Townsville Queensland 4811, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science; PMB 3, Townsville, Queensland 4810 Australia
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Chen CCM, Bourne DG, Drovandi CC, Mengersen K, Willis BL, Caley MJ, Sato Y. Modelling environmental drivers of black band disease outbreaks in populations of foliose corals in the genus Montipora. PeerJ 2017. [PMID: 28626613 PMCID: PMC5470580 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Seawater temperature anomalies associated with warming climate have been linked to increases in coral disease outbreaks that have contributed to coral reef declines globally. However, little is known about how seasonal scale variations in environmental factors influence disease dynamics at the level of individual coral colonies. In this study, we applied a multi-state Markov model (MSM) to investigate the dynamics of black band disease (BBD) developing from apparently healthy corals and/or a precursor-stage, termed ‘cyanobacterial patches’ (CP), in relation to seasonal variation in light and seawater temperature at two reef sites around Pelorus Island in the central sector of the Great Barrier Reef. The model predicted that the proportion of colonies transitioning from BBD to Healthy states within three months was approximately 57%, but 5.6% of BBD cases resulted in whole colony mortality. According to our modelling, healthy coral colonies were more susceptible to BBD during summer months when light levels were at their maxima and seawater temperatures were either rising or at their maxima. In contrast, CP mostly occurred during spring, when both light and seawater temperatures were rising. This suggests that environmental drivers for healthy coral colonies transitioning into a CP state are different from those driving transitions into BBD. Our model predicts that (1) the transition from healthy to CP state is best explained by increasing light, (2) the transition between Healthy to BBD occurs more frequently from early to late summer, (3) 20% of CP infected corals developed BBD, although light and temperature appeared to have limited impact on this state transition, and (4) the number of transitions from Healthy to BBD differed significantly between the two study sites, potentially reflecting differences in localised wave action regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla C M Chen
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical & Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - David G Bourne
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Christopher C Drovandi
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical & Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kerrie Mengersen
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical & Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Bette L Willis
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - M Julian Caley
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical & Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Yui Sato
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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