title: Nitrogen cycling in corals: the key to understanding holobiont functioning?
abstract: Corals are animals that form close mutualistic associations with endosymbiotic photosynthetic algae of the genus Symbiodinium. Together they provide the calcium carbonate framework of coral reef ecosystems. The importance of the microbiome (i.e., bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses) to holobiont functioning has only recently been recognized. Given that growth and density of Symbiodinium within the coral host is highly dependent on nitrogen availability, nitrogen-cycling microbes may be of fundamental importance to the stability of the coral-algae symbiosis and holobiont functioning, in particular under nutrient-enriched and -depleted scenarios. We summarize what is known about nitrogen cycling in corals and conclude that disturbance of microbial nitrogen cycling may be tightly linked to coral bleaching and disease.
authors: Coral Reef Ecology Group (CORE), Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, 28359 Bremen, Germany; Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, 28334 Bremen, Germany. Electronic address: nils.raedecker@zmt-bremen.de.
authors: Nils
authors: N
authors: Rädecker
authors: Coral Reef Ecology Group (CORE), Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Pogoreutz
authors: Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 23955 Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Christian R
authors: CR
authors: Voolstra
authors: Coral Reef Laboratory, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
authors: Jörg
authors: J
authors: Wiedenmann
authors: Coral Reef Ecology Group (CORE), Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, 28359 Bremen, Germany; Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, 28334 Bremen, Germany.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Wild
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D001105:Archaea / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D005658:Fungi / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D058458:Nitrogen Cycle; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Symbiodinium; coral bleaching; coral disease; coral holobiont; nutrient limitation; symbiosis