scholarly journals Cold-water Coral Microbiome and Environmental Microbial Communities in a Remote NE Atlantic Submarine Canyon Setting: Microbial Diversity, Coral Health and Prospects

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. M. Appah ◽  
E. Dillane ◽  
A. Lim ◽  
R. O ’Riordan ◽  
L. O’Reilly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Benthic Fauna ◽  
Lophelia Pertusa ◽  
Coral Microbiome ◽  
16S Rna ◽  
Coral Health ◽  
Bacterial Groups

Abstract In the Porcupine Bank Canyon, Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata are the main framework-forming corals producing three dimensional structures which provide a home for a range of benthic fauna and microbial communities. To understand the roles and functions that microbes perform in coral health in the Porcupine Bank Canyon, three groups of samples (corals, sediment and water) were collected between 600–800 m depth. DNA was extracted from these samples and metabarcoding was performed on the V3-V4 region of the 16S RNA gene using Illumina technology. The coral microbiome showed greater microbial diversity than both the surrounding sediment and water communities. The genera Pseudomonas, Pseudoalteramonas and Photobacterium were the bacterial communities conserved at 100% coverage of coral samples whereas at the order-level classification Clostridiales, Bacteroidales, Flavobacteriales, Rhodobacterales and Rickettsiales were in high abundance in all the coral samples. A disproportionate distribution of probiotic and pathogenic bacterial groups at the different levels of classification was observed on the corals. Corals do not appear, at present, to be stressed by climate induced changing environmental conditions in the upper Porcupine Bank Canyon. Overall, the corals in the Porcupine Bank Canyon are in a healthy state despite the detection of pathogenic bacterial groups. However, the current trend of climate change and subsequent deep-sea warming could shift the bacterial composition towards a more dominant pathogenic bacterial community, with serious implications for coral health and stability of this important ecosystem.

scholarly journals Comparison of Preservation and Extraction Methods on Five Taxonomically Disparate Coral Microbiomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe A. Pratte ◽  
Christina A. Kellogg
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Extraction Methods ◽  
Internal Controls ◽  
Optimum Combination ◽  
Lophelia Pertusa ◽  
Mock Community ◽  
Porites Astreoides ◽  
Coral Microbiome

All animals are host to a multitude of microorganisms that are essential to the animal’s health. Host-associated microbes have been shown to defend against potential pathogens, provide essential nutrients, interact with the host’s immune system, and even regulate mood. However, it can be difficult to preserve and obtain nucleic acids from some host-associated microbiomes, making studying their microbial communities challenging. Corals are an example of this, in part due to their potentially remote, underwater locations, their thick surface mucopolysaccharide layer, and various inherent molecular inhibitors. This study examined three different preservatives (RNAlater, DNA/RNA Shield, and liquid nitrogen) and two extraction methods (the Qiagen PowerBiofilm kit and the Promega Maxwell RBC kit with modifications) to determine if there was an optimum combination for examining the coral microbiome. These methods were employed across taxonomically diverse coral species, including deep-sea/shallow, stony/soft, and zooxanthellate/azooxanthellate: Lophelia pertusa, Paragorgia johnsoni, Montastraea cavernosa, Porites astreoides, and Stephanocoenia intersepta. Although significant differences were found between preservative types and extraction methods, these differences were subtle, and varied in nature from coral species to coral species. Significant differences between coral species were far more profound than those detected between preservative or extraction method. We suggest that the preservative types presented here and extraction methods using a bead-beating step provide enough consistency to compare coral microbiomes across various studies, as long as subtle differences in microbial communities are attributed to dissimilar methodologies. Additionally, the inclusion of internal controls such as a mock community and extraction blanks can help provide context regarding data quality, improving downstream analyses.

scholarly journals Microbial assemblages on a cold-water coral mound at the SE Rockall Bank (NE Atlantic): interactions with hydrography and topography

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 4483-4496 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. L. van Bleijswijk ◽  
C. Whalen ◽  
G. C. A. Duineveld ◽  
M. S. S. Lavaleye ◽  
H. J. Witte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Bottom Water ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Lophelia Pertusa ◽  
Ne Atlantic ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Group I ◽  
Water Coral

Abstract. This study characterizes the microbial community composition over Haas Mound, one of the most prominent cold-water coral mounds of the Logachev Mound province (Rockall Bank, NE Atlantic). We outline patterns of distribution vertically – from the seafloor to the water column – and laterally – across the mound – and couple these to mound topography and hydrography. Samples of water, sediment and Lophelia pertusa were collected in 2012 and 2013 from locations that were chosen based on high definition video surveys. Temperature and current measurements were obtained at two sites at the summit and foot of Haas Mound to study near-bed hydrodynamic conditions. Overlaying water was collected from depths of 400 m as well as 5 and 10 m above the bottom using a CTD/Rosette system. Near-bottom water, sediment and L. pertusa mucus and skeleton samples were obtained with a box corer. Of all these biotopes, Roche GS-FLX amplicon sequencing targeting both Bacteria and Archaea was carried out, augmenting our understanding of deep sea microbial consortia. The pattern of similarities between samples, visualized by multi-dimensional scaling (MDS), indicates a strong link between the distribution of microbes and the specific biotopes. The microbial operational taxonomic unit (OTU) diversity was the highest in near-bottom water, which was sampled in the coral framework. For the first time, Thaumarchaeota marine group I (MGI) were found in L. pertusa mucus; Endozoicomonas was detected in skeleton, mucus and near-bottom water, whereas Mycoplasma was only detected in skeleton and near-bottom water, however not in mucus. Analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) indicates that overlaying water is well-mixed at 400 m depth but less so at 5 and 10 m above the bottom, where the composition of microbial communities differed significantly between summit, slope and off-mound. At all locations, the near-bottom water differed significantly from water at 5 m above the bottom, illustrating that the near-bottom water in between the coral framework represents a separate microbial habitat. Furthermore, the observed spatial heterogeneity in microbial communities is discussed in relation to environmental conditions.

Predicting suitable habitat for the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa (Scleractinia)

2008 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 1048-1062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Davies ◽  
Max Wisshak ◽  
James C. Orr ◽  
J. Murray Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Cold Water ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Lophelia Pertusa ◽  
Water Coral

STUDY OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES IN MEAT PROCESSING ENTERPRISES

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Arturovna Semenova ◽  
◽  
Yulia Konstantinovna Yushina ◽  
Maria Alexandrovna Grudistova ◽  
Elena Viktorovna Zaiko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Pathogenic Microorganisms ◽  
Meat Processing ◽  
Production Environment

The article discusses the results of a study of the microbial diversity of objects in the production environment of two meat processing enterprises, including antibiotic resistance, isolated strains of pathogenic microorganisms and their ability to biofilm formation.

scholarly journals <sup>210</sup>Pb-<sup>226</sup>Ra chronology reveals rapid growth rate of <i>Madrepora oculata</i> and <i>Lophelia pertusa</i> on world's largest cold-water coral reef

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1253-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Sabatier ◽  
J.-L. Reyss ◽  
J. M. Hall-Spencer ◽  
C. Colin ◽  
N. Frank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Metal Oxides ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Age And Growth ◽  
Lophelia Pertusa ◽  
Fe Oxide ◽  
Oxide Contamination ◽  
Water Coral

Abstract. Here we show the use of the 210Pb-226Ra excess method to determine the growth rate of two corals from the world's largest known cold-water coral reef, Røst Reef, north of the Arctic circle off Norway. Colonies of each of the two species that build the reef, Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata, were collected alive at 350 m depth using a submersible. Pb and Ra isotopes were measured along the major growth axis of both specimens using low level alpha and gamma spectrometry and trace element compositions were studied. 210Pb and 226Ra differ in the way they are incorporated into coral skeletons. Hence, to assess growth rates, we considered the exponential decrease of initially incorporated 210Pb, as well as the increase in 210Pb from the decay of 226Ra and contamination with 210Pb associated with Mn-Fe coatings that we were unable to remove completely from the oldest parts of the skeletons. 226Ra activity was similar in both coral species, so, assuming constant uptake of 210Pb through time, we used the 210Pb-226Ra chronology to calculate growth rates. The 45.5 cm long branch of M. oculata was 31 yr with an average linear growth rate of 14.4 ± 1.1 mm yr−1 (2.6 polyps per year). Despite cleaning, a correction for Mn-Fe oxide contamination was required for the oldest part of the colony; this correction corroborated our radiocarbon date of 40 yr and a mean growth rate of 2 polyps yr−1. This rate is similar to the one obtained in aquarium experiments under optimal growth conditions. For the 80 cm-long L. pertusa colony, metal-oxide contamination remained in both the middle and basal part of the coral skeleton despite cleaning, inhibiting similar age and growth rate estimates. The youngest part of the colony was free of metal oxides and this 15 cm section had an estimated a growth rate of 8 mm yr−1, with high uncertainty (~1 polyp every two to three years). We are less certain of this 210Pb growth rate estimate which is within the lowermost ranges of previous growth rate estimates. We show that 210Pb-226Ra dating can be successfully applied to determine the age and growth rate of framework-forming cold-water corals if Mn-Fe oxide deposits can be removed. Where metal oxides can be removed, large M. oculata and L. pertusa skeletons provide archives for studies of intermediate water masses with an up to annual time resolution and spanning over many decades.

scholarly journals Opportunistic feeding on various organic food sources by the cold-water coral <i>Lophelia pertusa</i>

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Mueller ◽  
A. I. Larsson ◽  
B. Veuger ◽  
J. J. Middelburg ◽  
D. van Oevelen
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Fatty Acids ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Feeding Strategy ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Lophelia Pertusa ◽  
Opportunistic Feeding ◽  
Water Coral

Abstract. The ability of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa to exploit different food sources was investigated under standardized conditions in a flume. The tested food sources, dissolved organic matter (DOM, added as dissolved free amino acids), bacteria, algae, and zooplankton (Artemia) were deliberately enriched in 13C and 15N. The incorporation of 13C and 15N was traced into bulk tissue, fatty acids, hydrolysable amino acids, and the skeleton (13C only) of L. pertusa. Incorporation rates of carbon (ranging from 0.8–2.4 μg C g−1 DW d–1) and nitrogen (0.2–0.8 μg N g−1 DW d–1) into coral tissue did not differ significantly among food sources indicating an opportunistic feeding strategy. Although total food assimilation was comparable among sources, subsequent food processing was dependent on the type of food source ingested and recovery of assimilated C in tissue compounds ranged from 17% (algae) to 35% (Artemia). De novo synthesis of individual fatty acids by L. pertusa occurred in all treatments as indicated by the 13C enrichment of individual phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFAs) in the coral that were absent in the added food sources. This indicates that the coral might be less dependent on its diet as a source of specific fatty acids than expected, with direct consequences for the interpretation of in situ observations on coral nutrition based on lipid profiles.

scholarly journals pH up-regulation as a potential mechanism for the cold-water coral <i>Lophelia pertusa</i> to sustain growth in aragonite undersaturated conditions

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 6869-6880 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Wall ◽  
F. Ragazzola ◽  
L. C. Foster ◽  
A. Form ◽  
D. N. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Deep Water ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Lophelia Pertusa ◽  
Ambient Seawater ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Ph Conditions ◽  
Water Ecosystems ◽  
Water Coral

Abstract. Cold-water corals are important habitat formers in deep-water ecosystems and at high latitudes. Ocean acidification and the resulting change in aragonite saturation are expected to affect these habitats and impact coral growth. Counter to expectations, the deep water coral Lophelia pertusa has been found to be able to sustain growth even in undersaturated conditions. However, it is important to know whether such undersaturation modifies the skeleton and thus its ecosystem functioning. Here we used Synchrotron X-Ray Tomography and Raman spectroscopy to examine changes in skeleton morphology and fibre orientation. We combined the morphological assessment with boron isotope analysis to determine if changes in growth are related to changes in control of calcification pH. We compared the isotopic composition and structure formed in their natural environment to material grown in culture at lower pH conditions. Skeletal morphology is highly variable but shows no distinctive differences between natural and low pH conditions. Raman investigations found no difference in macromorphological skeletal arrangement of early mineralization zones and secondary thickening between the treatments. The δ11B analyses show that L. pertusa up-regulates the internal calcifying fluid pH (pHcf) during calcification compared to ambient seawater pH and maintains a similar elevated pHcf at increased pCO2 conditions. We suggest that as long as the energy is available to sustain the up-regulation, i.e. individuals are well fed, there is no detrimental effect to the skeletal morphology.

scholarly journals The Unseen Drivers of Coral Health; Coral Microbiome; The Hope for Effective Coral Restoration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hala F Mohamed ◽  
Yimin Chen ◽  
Amro Abd-Elgawad ◽  
CAI Rongshuo ◽  
Changan Xu
Keyword(s):  
Coral Microbiome ◽  
Coral Health

scholarly journals Local versus site-level effects of algae on coral microbial communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 210035
Author(s):  
Amy A. Briggs ◽  
Anya L. Brown ◽  
Craig W. Osenberg
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Antagonistic Effects ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Macroalgal Cover ◽  
Coral Microbiome ◽  
Turf Algae

Microbes influence ecological processes, including the dynamics and health of macro-organisms and their interactions with other species. In coral reefs, microbes mediate negative effects of algae on corals when corals are in contact with algae. However, it is unknown whether these effects extend to larger spatial scales, such as at sites with high algal densities. We investigated how local algal contact and site-level macroalgal cover influenced coral microbial communities in a field study at two islands in French Polynesia, Mo'orea and Mangareva. At 5 sites at each island, we sampled prokaryotic microbial communities (microbiomes) associated with corals, macroalgae, turf algae and water, with coral samples taken from individuals that were isolated from or in contact with turf or macroalgae. Algal contact and macroalgal cover had antagonistic effects on coral microbiome alpha and beta diversity. Additionally, coral microbiomes shifted and became more similar to macroalgal microbiomes at sites with high macroalgal cover and with algal contact, although the microbial taxa that changed varied by island. Our results indicate that coral microbiomes can be affected by algae outside of the coral's immediate vicinity, and local- and site-level effects of algae can obscure each other's effects when both scales are not considered.

scholarly journals Exceptional new fossil of Siphonophrentis gigantea

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian R McCall
Keyword(s):  
Cold Water ◽  
Lophelia Pertusa ◽  
Stony Corals ◽  
Rugose Corals ◽  
Sea Bed ◽  
The Family ◽  
Water Coral

Rugose Corals, often referred to as Horn Coral, are an extinct order of stony corals in the phylum Cnidaria. They lived from the Ordivician period to the end of the Permian period, and can be found worldwide. A new fossil of Siphonophrentis gigantea, a species of Rugosa in the family Streptelasmatidae, has been recovered from the Devonian strata of the Lucas Formation. The fossil gives clues towards the paleobiology of Siphonophrentis, revealing it to have likely anchored itself to the sea bed in the ocean depths. Siphonophrentis gigantea likely had no relationship with Zooxanthellae, a kind of Dinoflagellate that gives modern extant coral their colour and allows them to photosynthesize. These single celled organisms appear to be absent in Siphonophrentis, and it instead received nutrients from a rich amount of biological debris that fell into its habitat. Further comparisons can be made between Siphonophrentis and the extant, cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa.

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