title: Bacterial communities associated with four ctenophore genera from the German Bight (North Sea).
abstract: Intense research has been conducted on jellyfish and ctenophores in recent years. They are increasingly recognized as key elements in the marine ecosystem that serve as critical indicators and drivers of ecosystem performance and change. However, the bacterial community associated with ctenophores is still poorly investigated. Based on automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing, we investigated bacterial communities associated with the frequently occurring ctenophore species Mnemiopsis leidyi, Beroe sp., Bolinopsis infundibulum and Pleurobrachia pileus at Helgoland Roads in the German Bight (North Sea). We observed significant differences between the associated bacterial communities of the different ctenophore species based on ARISA patterns. With respect to bacterial taxa, all ctenophore species were dominated by Proteobacteria as revealed by pyrosequencing. Mnemiopsis leidyi and P. pileus mainly harboured Gammaproteobacteria, with Marinomonas as the dominant phylotype of M. leidyi. By contrast, Pseudoalteromonas and Psychrobacter were the most abundant Gammaproteobacteria in P. pileus. Beroe sp. was mainly dominated by Alphaproteobacteria, particularly by the genus Thalassospira. For B. infundibulum, the bacterial community was composed of Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria in equal parts, which consisted of the genera Thalassospira and Marinomonas. In addition, the bacterial communities associated with M. leidyi display a clear variation over time that needs further investigation. Our results indicate that the bacterial communities associated with ctenophores are highly species- specific.
authors.affiliation: Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China haowenjin456@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Wenjin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, PO Box 180, 27498 Helgoland, Germany.
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gerdts
authors.affiliation: Ribocon GmbH, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peplies
authors.affiliation: Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, PO Box 180, 27498 Helgoland, Germany.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wichels
mesh_terms: D020561:Alphaproteobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D037302:Ctenophora / Q000382:microbiology*; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D017753:Ecosystem; D020563:Gammaproteobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000235:genetics*; D009659:North Sea; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: ARISA fingerprint; bacterial community composition; ctenophore; ribosomal amplicon pyrosequencing