title: Coral microbial community dynamics in response to anthropogenic impacts near a major city in the central Red Sea.
abstract: Coral-associated bacteria play an increasingly recognized part in coral health. We investigated the effect of local anthropogenic impacts on coral microbial communities on reefs near Jeddah, the largest city on the Saudi Arabian coast of the central Red Sea. We analyzed the bacterial community structure of water and corals (Pocillopora verrucosa and Acropora hemprichii) at sites that were relatively unimpacted, exposed to sedimentation & local sewage, or in the discharge area of municipal wastewaters. Coral microbial communities were significantly different at impacted sites: in both corals the main symbiotic taxon decreased in abundance. In contrast, opportunistic bacterial families, such as e.g. Vibrionaceae and Rhodobacteraceae, were more abundant in corals at impacted sites. In conclusion, microbial community response revealed a measurable footprint of anthropogenic impacts to coral ecosystems close to Jeddah, even though the corals appeared visually healthy.
authors.affiliation: Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 23955-6900 Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Maren
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.affiliation: Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 23955-6900 Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roik
authors.affiliation: College of Life and Environmental Sciences: Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Marine Science, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80207, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zubier
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Marine Science, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80207, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammed S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mudarris
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Marine Science, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80207, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Centre for Marine Biotechnology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ormond
authors.affiliation: Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 23955-6900 Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: christian.voolstra@kaust.edu.sa.
authors.forename: Christian R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Voolstra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D057894:Coral Reefs; D019156:Indian Ocean; D059013:Microbial Consortia; D041902:Rhodobacteraceae / Q000254:growth & development*; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D013559:Symbiosis; D014507:Urbanization; D014737:Vibrionaceae / Q000254:growth & development*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis*
keywords: Bacterial community; Coral reef; Environmental impact; Pollution; Red Sea; Sedimentation