Influence of reef habitat on coral microbial associations

Corals have complex symbiotic associations that can be influenced by the environment. We compare symbiotic dinoflagellate (family: Symbiodiniaceae) associations and the microbiome of five scleractinian coral species from three different reef habitats in Palau, Micronesia. Although pH and temperature corresponded with specific host-Symbiodiniaceae associations common to the nearshore and offshore habitats, bacterial community dissimilarity analyses indicated minimal influence of these factors on microbial community membership for the corals Coelastrea aspera, Psammocora digitata, and Pachyseris rugosa. However, coral colonies sampled close to human development exhibited greater differences in microbial community diversity compared to the nearshore habitat for the coral species Coelastrea aspera, Montipora foliosa, and Pocillopora acuta, and the offshore habitat for Coelastrea aspera, while also showing less consistency in Symbiodiniaceae associations. These findings indicate the influence that habitat location has on the bacterial and Symbiodiniaceae communities comprising the coral holobiont and provide important considerations for the conservation of coral reef communities, especially for island nations with increasing human populations and development. Graphical Abstract available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70051 In Palau, Micronesia, temperature and pH influence coral-Symbiodiniaceae associations but do not affect coral microbial community membership across nearshore and offshore reef habitats. Coral colonies near human development exhibited higher microbial diversity, greater bacterial community similarity across genera, and less consistent Symbiodiniaceae associations compared to both nearshore and offshore habitats. These findings reveal how habitat and proximity to urban development affect coral symbioses, offering insights for coral reef conservation as human development increases in coastal environments.

Description

This article was originally published in Environmental Microbiology Reports. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70051. © 2024 The Author(s). Environmental Microbiology Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Citation

Gantt, S.E., Kemp, K.M., Colin, P.L., Hoadley, K.D., LaJeunesse, T.C., Warner, M.E. et al. (2024) Influence of reef habitat on coral microbial associations. Environmental Microbiology Reports, 16(6), e70051. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70051

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https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/35588

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