title: The coral core microbiome identifies rare bacterial taxa as ubiquitous endosymbionts.
abstract: Despite being one of the simplest metazoans, corals harbor some of the most highly diverse and abundant microbial communities. Differentiating core, symbiotic bacteria from this diverse host-associated consortium is essential for characterizing the functional contributions of bacteria but has not been possible yet. Here we characterize the coral core microbiome and demonstrate clear phylogenetic and functional divisions between the micro-scale, niche habitats within the coral host. In doing so, we discover seven distinct bacterial phylotypes that are universal to the core microbiome of coral species, separated by thousands of kilometres of oceans. The two most abundant phylotypes are co-localized specifically with the corals' endosymbiotic algae and symbiont-containing host cells. These bacterial symbioses likely facilitate the success of the dinoflagellate endosymbiosis with corals in diverse environmental regimes.
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: D Ainsworth
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bridge
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.|School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Gergely
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Torda
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.|School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Jean-Baptise
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Raina
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zakrzewski
authors.affiliation: Hawaii Institute for Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i, Mānoa, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Ruth D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Gates
authors.affiliation: Hawaii Institute for Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i, Mānoa, HI, USA.|Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jacqueline L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Padilla-Gamiño
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Hawai'i, Mānoa, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Spalding
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Hawai'i, Mānoa, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Erika S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Woolsey
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute for Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Bourne
authors.affiliation: The Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Pim
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bongaerts
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.|The Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Ove
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hoegh-Guldberg
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.|School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Leggat
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000382:microbiology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000235:genetics; D064307:Microbiota / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial