Latitudinal Patterns of Coral-Associated Microbial Communities in the South China Sea: Insights into Thermal Adaptation Mechanisms
Coral holobiont comprises the coral host and its associated symbiotic zooxanthellae and microorganisms, which provide resilience against environmental stressors. Understanding the complex relationships and adaptive mechanisms among them may improve predictions of coral reef responses to climate change. In this study, we investigated the microbial community dynamics of two stony coral species: the thermally susceptible Pocillopora verrucosa and the thermally resilient Diploastrea heliopora, across three latitudinal regions in the South China Sea (SCS) with varying temperature gradients. Our findings enhance the understanding of community changes and their functional adaptations in the coral holobiont across SCS regions, indicating the selection of certain microbial genotypes as a potential adaptive mechanism to varied environments.