Structure and temporal dynamics of the bacterial communities associated to microhabitats of the coral Oculina patagonica.
Corals are known to contain a diverse microbiota that plays a paramount role in the physiology and health of holobiont. However, few studies have addressed the variability of bacterial communities within the coral host. In this study, bacterial community composition from the mucus, tissue and skeleton of the scleractinian coral Oculina patagonica were investigated seasonally at two locations in the Western Mediterranean Sea, to further understand how environmental conditions and the coral microbiome structure are related. We used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis in combination with next-generation sequencing and electron microscopy to characterize the bacterial community. The bacterial communities were significantly different among coral compartments, and coral tissue displayed the greatest changes related to environmental conditions and coral health status. Species belonging to the Rhodobacteraceae and Vibrionaceae families form part of O. patagonica tissues core microbiome and may play significant roles in the nitrogen cycle. Furthermore, sequences related to the coral pathogens, Vibrio mediterranei and Vibrio coralliilyticus, were detected not only in bleached corals but also in healthy ones, even during cold months. This fact opens a new view onto unveiling the role of pathogens in the development of coral diseases in the future.
Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Alicante, 03080, Spain.
Esther
E
Rubio-Portillo
Department of Physiology, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Alicante, Alicante, 03080, Spain.
Fernando
F
Santos
Department of Physiology, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Alicante, Alicante, 03080, Spain.
Manuel
M
Martínez-García
Department of Biogeochemistry and Microbial Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, 28006, Spain.
Asunción
A
de Los Ríos
Department of Biogeochemistry and Microbial Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, 28006, Spain.
Carmen
C
Ascaso
Instituto Estructura de la Materia, (CSIC), Madrid, 28006, Spain.
Virginia
V
Souza-Egipsy
Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Alicante, 03080, Spain.|Centro de Investigación Marina (CIMAR), Universidad de Alicante-Ayuntamiento de Santa Pola, Alicante, Spain.
Alfonso A
AA
Ramos-Esplá
Department of Physiology, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Alicante, Alicante, 03080, Spain.
Josefa
J
Anton
D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000382:microbiology*; D058645:Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis; D017753:Ecosystem; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D014733:Vibrio / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology