Differential specificity between closely related corals and abundant Endozoicomonas endosymbionts across global scales

Neave, Matthew J., Rachmawati, Rita, Xun, Liping, Michell, Craig T., Bourne, David G., Apprill, Amy, and Voolstra, Christian R. (2017) Differential specificity between closely related corals and abundant Endozoicomonas endosymbionts across global scales. ISME Journal: multidisciplinary journal of microbial ecology, 11 (1). pp. 186-200.

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Abstract

Reef-building corals are well regarded not only for their obligate association with endosymbiotic algae, but also with prokaryotic symbionts, the specificity of which remains elusive. To identify the central microbial symbionts of corals, their specificity across species and conservation over geographic regions, we sequenced partial SSU ribosomal RNA genes of Bacteria and Archaea from the common corals Stylophora pistillata and Pocillopora verrucosa across 28 reefs within seven major geographical regions. We demonstrate that both corals harbor Endozoicomonas bacteria as their prevalent symbiont. Importantly, catalyzed reporter deposition- fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) with Endozoicomonas-specific probes confirmed their residence as large aggregations deep within coral tissues. Using fine-scale genotyping techniques and single-cell genomics, we demonstrate that P. verrucosa harbors the same Endozoicomonas, whereas S. pistillata associates with geographically distinct genotypes. This specificity may be shaped by the different reproductive strategies of the hosts, potentially uncovering a pattern of symbiont selection that is linked to life history. Spawning corals such as P. verrucosa acquire prokaryotes from the environment. In contrast, brooding corals such as S. pistillata release symbiont-packed planula larvae, which may explain a strong regional signature in their microbiome. Our work contributes to the factors underlying microbiome specificity and adds detail to coral holobiont functioning.

Item ID: 50684
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1751-7370
Additional Information:

his work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article' s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

Funders: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Science Foundation (NSF)
Projects and Grants: NSF OCE-1233612
Date Deposited: 20 Sep 2017 11:05
FoR Codes: 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3107 Microbiology > 310799 Microbiology not elsewhere classified @ 100%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9699 Other Environment > 969999 Environment not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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