Microbiota of the Major South Atlantic Reef Building Coral Mussismilia

Abstract

The Brazilian endemic scleractinian corals, genus Mussismilia, are among the main reef builders of the South Atlantic and are threatened by accelerating rates of disease. To better understand how holobiont microbial populations interact with corals during health and disease and to evaluate whether selective pressures in the holobiont or neutral assembly shape microbial composition, we have examined the microbiota structure of Mussismilia corals according to coral lineage, environment, and disease/health status. Microbiota of three Mussismilia species (Mussismilia harttii, Mussismilia hispida, and Mussismilia braziliensis) was compared using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing and clone library analysis of coral fragments. Analysis of biological triplicates per Mussismilia species and reef site allowed assessment of variability among Mussismilia species and between sites for M. braziliensis. From 173,487 V6 sequences, 6,733 coral- and 1,052 water-associated operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were observed. M. braziliensis microbiota was more similar across reefs than to other Mussismilia species microbiota from the same reef. Highly prevalent OTUs were more significantly structured by coral lineage and were enriched in Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. Bacterial OTUs from healthy corals were recovered from a M. braziliensis skeleton sample at twice the frequency of recovery from water or a diseased coral suggesting the skeleton is a significant habitat for microbial populations in the holobiont. Diseased corals were enriched with pathogens and opportunists (Vibrios, Bacteroidetes, Thalassomonas, and SRB). Our study examines for the first time intra- and inter-specific variability of microbiota across the genus Mussismilia. Changes in microbiota may be useful indicators of coral health and thus be a valuable tool for coral reef management and conservation.

Multi-marker metabarcoding of coral skeletons reveals a rich microbiome and diverse evolutionary origins of endolithic algae

“…Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were the predominant prokaryotic members, in agreement with some metabarcoding studies of coral skeletons3034. A recent study indicates that green sulphur bacteria are prevalent in skeletons of Isopora palifera 35.…”

Bacterial Community Associated with the Reef Coral Mussismilia braziliensis's Momentum Boundary Layer over a Diel Cycle

“…Other coral species within the Mussismilia genus, however, were previously shown to harbor distinct bacterial community profile even at the phylum level, with higher abundance of Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Lentisphaera , and Nitrospira (Castro et al, 2010). This result shows that both the MBL sample and the water above are under influence of coral mucus and support the hypothesis of stable interactions between microbes and the Mussismilia genus (Carlos et al, 2013; Fernando et al, 2014). Growing evidence suggest that different coral species select for specific bacterial assemblages, even at large geographic scales (Hernandez-agreda et al, 2016; Neave et al, 2016).…”

Metaproteomics reveals metabolic transitions between healthy and diseased stony coral Mussismilia braziliensis

“…The predominance of Alphaproteobacteria , Gammaproteobacteria , Firmicutes, Actinobacteria , Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes ( Actinomycetales , Myxococcale and Rhizobiales ) observed in this study is in accordance with the Mussismilia core microbiota recently proposed by others (Fernando et al . ).…”