Increasing temperatures on a global scale and locally deteriorating water quality affect coral distribution and health. Mechanisms that convey environmental robustness are poorly understood and have been attributed to the coral host, algal symbionts, and prokaryotic associates. Flexibility of the host’s (bacterial) microbiome has been suggested to contribute to environmental robustness, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We therefore utilised the vastly contrasting water quality gradient present along Hong Kong’s highly urbanised coastline to explore whether flexibility in the microbiome of Oulastrea crispata relates to spatial variations in temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, total nitrogen, phosphorus, turbidity, and chlorophyll a. We identified differences in the coral microbiomes between sites, but the measured environmental variables only explained ~ 23% of the variation suggesting other factors are contributing substantially. The observed structural complexity of the microbiome (based on alpha diversity indices) appears to be relatively conserved across the environmental gradient even at sites where no other hard coral can survive. Therefore, we conclude that, at least in O. crispata, flexibility in the microbiome does not appear to underpin the robustness of this broadly distributed coral.

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Snake soup continues to be an iconic tradition in Cantonese culture. Yet little is known about the relationship between snake soup consumption in Hong Kong, wild snake populations, and the communities depending on this tradition for their livelihoods. We applied an interdisciplinary approach including interviews with shopkeepers and genetic analyses of snake meat samples to determine the species consumed in Hong Kong, their source locations, and shopkeepers’ views on the future of the industry. We genetically identified the common rat snake Ptyas mucosa, widely distributed throughout East and Southeast Asia, and the Javan spitting cobra Naja sputatrix, endemic to Indonesia, as the species most commonly consumed, which was consistent with interview responses. According to interviews, snakes had mostly been imported from mainland China in the past, but now tend to be sourced from Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. Interviews also revealed a pessimistic outlook on the continuation of this tradition because of various factors, including a lasting yet misinformed association of snakes with the 2002–2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and China's ensuing ban on the consumption of terrestrial wildlife, Hong Kong's snake soup industry will probably continue to rely on Southeast Asian sources to persist. Given the cultural and conservation issues surrounding this tradition, further research on the economic, ecological and social consequences of snake consumption is needed to examine the broader implications of snake soup and similar industries in the region.

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