Epibiotic bacteria on the carapace of hawksbill and green sea turtles

Loghmannia, Javad; Nasrolahi, Ali; Dobretsov, Sergey

doi:10.1080/08927014.2023.2220275

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 94 publications

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“…Studies investigating metabolomes of biofouling organisms or complex communities are rare but their percentage increases yearly ( Figure 3 ). In particular, biofilms associated with corals [ 26 , 27 ], seaweeds [ 28 , 29 ], sponges [ 30 , 31 ], and other marine organisms [ 32 ] are reported.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Omics” Techniques Used in Marine Biofouling Studies

Dobretsov

Rittschof

2023

IJMS

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Biofouling is the growth of organisms on wet surfaces. Biofouling includes micro- (bacteria and unicellular algae) and macrofouling (mussels, barnacles, tube worms, bryozoans, etc.) and is a major problem for industries. However, the settlement and growth of some biofouling species, like oysters and corals, can be desirable. Thus, it is important to understand the process of biofouling in detail. Modern “omic” techniques, such as metabolomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, provide unique opportunities to study biofouling organisms and communities and investigate their metabolites and environmental interactions. In this review, we analyze the recent publications that employ metagenomic, metabolomic, and proteomic techniques for the investigation of biofouling and biofouling organisms. Specific emphasis is given to metagenomics, proteomics and publications using combinations of different “omics” techniques. Finally, this review presents the future outlook for the use of “omics” techniques in marine biofouling studies. Like all trans-disciplinary research, environmental “omics” is in its infancy and will advance rapidly as researchers develop the necessary expertise, theory, and technology.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Omics” Techniques Used in Marine Biofouling Studies

Dobretsov

Rittschof

2023

IJMS

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Characterization of Respiratory, Skin, and Cloaca Microbiota in Mediterranean Loggerhead and Green Sea Turtle Populations

Hochscheid,

Affuso,

Pace

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Animals are considered biological units with their microbiota, which is composed of commensal, pathogenic, and symbiont bacteria. This microbiota is shaped by the environment and through changes in the animal life history, and it plays a key role in the physiology and fitness of its host. Sea turtles are known to be good indicators of marine ecosystem health, and it is known that their populations are declining in the Mediterranean. Herein, we characterize the upper respiratory, cloaca, and skin microbiota of loggerhead sea turtles under rehabilitation at the Israeli Sea Turtle Rescue Center located in Mikhmoret, Israel, and the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn located in Napoli, Italy to compare sea turtles’ microbiota in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) and the Western Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, we characterize the breath, skin, and cloaca microbiota of green sea turtles kept in captivity for conservation purposes at the Israeli Sea Turtle Rescue Center. Our results showed significant composition differences between the three groups of sea turtles, their surrounding water, and between the organs assessed within and between species. Additionally, we identified core bacterial taxa for the organs sampled in each sea turtle group. The dominant bacteria in all turtle groups belonged to the Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidia and Alphaproteobacteriaclasses. Our study is the first one to enable the comparison of the microbial composition of two loggerhead populations in the Eastern and Western Mediterranean. The results aligned with previous findings regarding the dominant bacterial groups and constituted baseline data for the core microbial communities’ composition on wild chelonians as sentinel species in the Tyrrhenian and Levantine basins. The differences in the bacterial profile enable the identification of the turtles' species, sex, and environment. Changes in the microbiota can also indicate their health status. Additionally, the microbiome characterization of the Israeli green sea turtle population allows the understanding of the microbial community composition of a breeding stock aimed to repopulate the EMS to improve its conservation status practically extinct in the area.

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Hitchhiking bryozoans (Gymnolaemata) on sea turtles (Cheloniidae) from southeastern United States to Honduras

Key Jr,

Winston,

Eastman

et al. 2024

bms

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To understand the symbiosis between epizoic bryozoans and sea turtles, we examined 52 sea turtles whose range spanned from Georgia, United States to Honduras, from three host species: Caretta caretta (loggerhead), Chelonia mydas (green), and Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill). Of these, 13% were adults and 87% were juveniles. We found 18 bryozoan colonies belonging to seven different gymnolaemate bryozoan species. Five were cheilostomes (Biflustra arborescens, Biflustra cf. conjunctiva, Bugula neritina, Schizoporella errata, and Aetea sp.) and two were ctenostomes (Alcyonidium hauffi and Anguinella palmata). Biflustra cf. conjunctiva and Aetea sp. are reported here for the first time on sea turtles. Biflustra cf. conjunctiva is an invasive species from the South China Sea and reported here for the first time in the southeastern United States. Of the 52 sea turtles examined, 15% were fouled by bryozoans: 88% of the loggerheads, 3% of the greens, and none of the hawksbills. Combining all host species, 86% of adult sea turtles were fouled by bryozoans compared to 4% of juveniles. Fouled hosts were significantly larger than unfouled hosts. We attribute this to the target area hypothesis, as the juvenile sea turtles were significantly smaller targets for bryozoan larval settlement than the adult hosts. The bryozoans were all found on the hosts’ dorsal carapace, and the number of bryozoan colonies increased significantly in a posterior direction across the carapace. Of the 18 bryozoan colonies, 89% were encrusting and 11% were erect, yet flexible. We describe this non-obligate/facultative commensal symbiotic relationship as phoretic (i.e., hitchhiking).

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Epibiotic bacteria on the carapace of hawksbill and green sea turtles

Cited by 3 publications

References 94 publications

“Omics” Techniques Used in Marine Biofouling Studies

“Omics” Techniques Used in Marine Biofouling Studies

Characterization of Respiratory, Skin, and Cloaca Microbiota in Mediterranean Loggerhead and Green Sea Turtle Populations

Hitchhiking bryozoans (Gymnolaemata) on sea turtles (Cheloniidae) from southeastern United States to Honduras

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