scholarly journals Seasonal Variations in the Culturable Mycobiome of Acropora loripes along a Depth Gradient

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 1139
Author(s):  
Nofar Lifshitz ◽  
Lena Hazanov ◽  
Maoz Fine ◽  
Oded Yarden
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Fungal Diversity ◽  
Gulf Of Aqaba ◽  
Coral Host ◽  
Depth Gradient ◽  
Coral Holobiont ◽  
Colony Forming Units ◽  
Coral Health ◽  
Fungal Colony ◽  
Apparently Healthy

Coral associated fungi are widespread, highly diverse and are part and parcel of the coral holobiont. To study how environmental conditions prevailing near the coral-host may affect fungal diversity, the culturable (isolated on potato dextrose agar) mycobiome associated with Acropora loripes colonies was seasonally sampled along a depth gradient in the Gulf of Aqaba. Fragments were sampled from both apparently healthy coral colonies as well as those exhibiting observable lesions. Based on phylogenetic analysis of 197 fungal sequences, Ascomycota were the most prevalent (91.9%). The abundance of fungi increased with increasing water depth, where corals sampled at 25 m yielded up to 70% more fungal colony forming units (CFUs) than those isolated at 6 m. Fungal diversity at 25 m was also markedly higher, with over 2-fold more fungal families represented. Diversity was also higher in lesioned coral samples, when compared to apparently healthy colonies. In winter, concurrent with water column mixing and increased levels of available nutrients, at the shallow depths, Saccharomytacea and Sporidiobolacea were more prevalent, while in spring and fall Trichocomacea (overall, the most prevalent family isolated throughout this study) were the most abundant taxa isolated at these depths as well as at deeper sampling sites. Our results highlight the dynamic nature of the culturable coral mycobiome and its sensitivity to environmental conditions and coral health.

scholarly journals Beneath the surface: community assembly and functions of the coral skeleton microbiome

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Ricci ◽  
Vanessa Rossetto Marcelino ◽  
Linda Blackall ◽  
Michael Kühl ◽  
Monica Medina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Dispersal Limitation ◽  
Coral Host ◽  
Chemical Gradients ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Archaeal Species ◽  
Coral Holobiont ◽  
Coral Health ◽  
Microbial Community Assembly

Coral microbial ecology is a burgeoning field, driven by the urgency of understanding coral health and slowing reef loss due to climate change. Coral resilience depends on its microbiota, and both the tissue and the underlying skeleton are home to a rich biodiversity of eukaryotic, bacterial and archaeal species that form an integral part of the coral holobiont. New techniques now enable detailed studies of the endolithic habitat, and our knowledge of the skeletal microbial community and its eco-physiology is increasing rapidly, with multiple lines of evidence for the importance of the skeletal microbiota in coral health and functioning. Here, we review the roles these organisms play in the holobiont, including nutritional exchanges with the coral host and decalcification of the host skeleton. Microbial metabolism causes steep physico-chemical gradients in the skeleton, creating micro-niches that, along with dispersal limitation and priority affects, define the fine-scale microbial community assembly. Coral bleaching causes drastic changes in the skeletal microbiome, which can mitigate bleaching effects and promote coral survival during stress periods, but may also have detrimental effects. Finally, we discuss the idea that the skeleton may function as a microbial reservoir that can promote recolonization of the tissue microbiome following dysbiosis and help the coral holobiont return to homeostasis.

scholarly journals Beneath the surface: community assembly and functions of the coral skeleton microbiome

Microbiome ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Ricci ◽  
Vanessa Rossetto Marcelino ◽  
Linda L. Blackall ◽  
Michael Kühl ◽  
Mónica Medina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Dispersal Limitation ◽  
Priority Effects ◽  
Coral Host ◽  
Chemical Gradients ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Archaeal Species ◽  
Coral Holobiont ◽  
Coral Health

AbstractCoral microbial ecology is a burgeoning field, driven by the urgency of understanding coral health and slowing reef loss due to climate change. Coral resilience depends on its microbiota, and both the tissue and the underlying skeleton are home to a rich biodiversity of eukaryotic, bacterial and archaeal species that form an integral part of the coral holobiont. New techniques now enable detailed studies of the endolithic habitat, and our knowledge of the skeletal microbial community and its eco-physiology is increasing rapidly, with multiple lines of evidence for the importance of the skeletal microbiota in coral health and functioning. Here, we review the roles these organisms play in the holobiont, including nutritional exchanges with the coral host and decalcification of the host skeleton. Microbial metabolism causes steep physico-chemical gradients in the skeleton, creating micro-niches that, along with dispersal limitation and priority effects, define the fine-scale microbial community assembly. Coral bleaching causes drastic changes in the skeletal microbiome, which can mitigate bleaching effects and promote coral survival during stress periods, but may also have detrimental effects. Finally, we discuss the idea that the skeleton may function as a microbial reservoir that can promote recolonization of the tissue microbiome following dysbiosis and help the coral holobiont return to homeostasis.

scholarly journals Monthly variation in air borne fungal propagules of Dhaka metropolitan city

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-33
Author(s):  
Tania Sultana ◽  
MA Bashar ◽  
S Shamsi
Keyword(s):  
Monthly Variation ◽  
Metropolitan City ◽  
Fungal Propagules ◽  
Colony Forming Units ◽  
Fungal Colony

In an average, 6648 fungal colony forming units were settled within five minutes on one square meter area at morning and evening from the air of Dhaka Metropolitan city during February, 2013 to January, 2014. Among the identified fungi, Aspergillus was one of the most dominating genera in all the stations during the above mentioned period. The second was Cladosporium followed by Penicillium, Alternaria, Curvularia, Fusarium, Pestalotia, Colletotrichum, Tricho‐derma, Rhizopus, Nigrospora, Chaetomium, Syncephalastrum, Arthrinium and Bipolaris. In the dry winter (December‐February), Alternaria, Bipolaris, Cladosporium, Curvularia and Drechslera showed its peak. In the rainy monsoon (June ‐ September), Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Pestalotia and Trichoderma showed their peak. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 24(1): 25-33, 2015 (January)

scholarly journals Coral and Seawater Metagenomes Reveal Key Microbial Functions to Coral Health and Ecosystem Functioning Shaped at Reef Scale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laís Farias Oliveira Lima ◽  
Amanda Alker ◽  
Bhavya Papudeshi ◽  
Megan Morris ◽  
Robert Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Coral Host ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomics ◽  
Patch Reefs ◽  
Coral Microbiome ◽  
Gene Functions ◽  
Coral Health

Abstract Background The coral holobiont is comprised of a highly diverse microbial community that provides key services to corals such as protection against pathogens and nutrient cycling. The coral surface mucus layer (SML) microbiome is very sensitive to external changes and tied to ecosystem functioning, as it constitutes the direct interface between the coral host and the environment. The functional profile of microbial genes in the coral SML is underexplored and the use of shotgun metagenomics is relatively rare among coral microbiome studies. Here we investigate whether the bacterial taxonomic and functional profiles in the coral SML are shaped by the local reef zone and explore their role in coral health and ecosystem functioning. Results The analysis was conducted using metagenomes and metagenome assemble genomes (MAGs) associated with the coral Pseudodiploria strigosa and the water column from two naturally distinct reef environments in Bermuda: inner patch reefs exposed to a fluctuating thermal regime and the more stable outer reefs . Our results showed that the microbial community structure is simultaneously selected by the host medium (i.e., coral SML versus water) and the local environment (i.e., inner reefs versus outer reefs), both at taxonomic and functional levels. The coral SML microbiome from inner reefs provides more gene functions that are involved in nutrient cycling (e.g., photosynthesis, phosphorus metabolism, sulfur assimilation) and that are related to higher levels of microbial activity, competition, and stress response, such as dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) breakdown. In contrast, the coral SML microbiome from outer reefs contained genes indicative of a carbohydrate-rich mucus composition found in corals exposed to less stressful temperatures and showed high proportions of microbial gene functions that play a potential role in coral disease, such as degradation of lignin-derived compounds and sulfur oxidation. Conclusion The fluctuating environment in the inner patch reefs of Bermuda could be driving a more beneficial coral SML microbiome; potentially increasing holobiont resilience to environmental changes and disease. Our results reveal microbial taxa and functions selected at reef scale in the coral SML microbiome that can leverage disease management, microbiome engineering, and microbial eco-evolutionary theories.

scholarly journals Heat stress destabilizes symbiotic nutrient cycling in corals

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. e2022653118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils Rädecker ◽  
Claudia Pogoreutz ◽  
Hagen M. Gegner ◽  
Anny Cárdenas ◽  
Florian Roth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Coral Host ◽  
Stylophora Pistillata ◽  
Coral Holobiont ◽  
Algal Symbiosis ◽  
Energy Limitation

Recurrent mass bleaching events are pushing coral reefs worldwide to the brink of ecological collapse. While the symptoms and consequences of this breakdown of the coral–algal symbiosis have been extensively characterized, our understanding of the underlying causes remains incomplete. Here, we investigated the nutrient fluxes and the physiological as well as molecular responses of the widespread coral Stylophora pistillata to heat stress prior to the onset of bleaching to identify processes involved in the breakdown of the coral–algal symbiosis. We show that altered nutrient cycling during heat stress is a primary driver of the functional breakdown of the symbiosis. Heat stress increased the metabolic energy demand of the coral host, which was compensated by the catabolic degradation of amino acids. The resulting shift from net uptake to release of ammonium by the coral holobiont subsequently promoted the growth of algal symbionts and retention of photosynthates. Together, these processes form a feedback loop that will gradually lead to the decoupling of carbon translocation from the symbiont to the host. Energy limitation and altered symbiotic nutrient cycling are thus key factors in the early heat stress response, directly contributing to the breakdown of the coral–algal symbiosis. Interpreting the stability of the coral holobiont in light of its metabolic interactions provides a missing link in our understanding of the environmental drivers of bleaching and may ultimately help uncover fundamental processes underpinning the functioning of endosymbioses in general.

Quantitative changes in fungal colony-forming units in the surface microlayers of two freshwater ponds

1984 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 578-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Maki ◽  
S. C. Danos ◽  
C. C. Remsen
Keyword(s):  
Glass Plate ◽  
Surface Microlayer ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Freshwater Ponds ◽  
Colony Forming Units ◽  
Subsurface Waters ◽  
Quantitative Changes ◽  
Diel Fluctuations ◽  
Fungal Colony

The surface microlayer of two small ponds in Wisconsin were studied from March 1979 through November 1979 using glass plate and screen microlayer sampling devices. The numbers of fungal colony-forming units (CFU) in the surface microlayer were determined and compared with numbers in subsurface waters; diel fluctuations were correlated with nutrients; and experiments were conducted to estimate the contribution of spores to surface microlayer populations. The data obtained indicates that the highest number of fungal CFU were located in the surface microlayers of the ponds studied. The numbers present, as well as their enrichment in the surface microlayer, underwent both seasonal and diel fluctuations. Most of the fungal CFU in the surface microlayer appeared to be spores arriving from both allochthonous and autochthonous sources. Qualitative investigations would be necessary to determine the relative importance of either source to the total numbers of fungi observed.

scholarly journals Environmental conditions in broiler multi-stage setter: a case study

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Carolina de Souza Gigli ◽  
Marta dos Santos Baracho ◽  
Irenilza de Alencar Nääs ◽  
Douglas D'Alessandro Salgado ◽  
Débora Passos Alvarenga
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Broiler Chicken ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Concentration ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
Parametric Test ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Colony Forming Units

Production of one day-old chick production is one of the most important segments in the poultry production business. Broiler chicken incubation environment needs to be homogeneous and adequate so hatchability and final product quality are not affected. This research aimed at evaluating environmental conditions inside a multi-stage setter in a commercial hatchery house. The incubator was split into six areas and data loggers placed in the geometric center to register temperature and relative humidity data; carbon dioxide concentration and number of colony forming units (CFU) of fungi were also sampled and analyzed; Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test was used for statistical analysis; significant differences in temperature and relative humidity distribution inside the incubator (p < 0.05) were detected, but no differences were found in CO2 concentrations or CFU distribution inside the incubator (p > 0.05). Fungi incidence varied from average to good. Critical points were detected in all areas inside the setter.

A true scale study of the maize chain with focus on free and hidden fumonisins and related fungi

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Falavigna ◽  
C. Dall'Asta ◽  
S. Decontardi ◽  
G. Galaverna ◽  
P. Battilani
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Treatment ◽  
Storage Period ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Colony Forming Units ◽  
Drying Conditions ◽  
Maize Kernels ◽  
Fungal Colony ◽  
Dynamic Profile ◽  
Sampling Approach

The aim of this work was to study the dynamic profile of mycotoxin producing fungi as well as the accumulation of free and hidden fumonisins along the maize chain. Raw maize was sampled at harvest, at the storehouse and after drying. The study continued on the dried maize bulk along the storage period in a commercial silo, which was sampled during discharge at 6, 7, 8 and 10 months. Finally, the flour obtained after kernel milling and corresponding to the silo discharges was investigated. The sampling approach, designed in agreement with EU regulations and tested for reliability, was used along the maize chain, obtaining very good results. The prevalent fungi found in maize kernels belonged to Fusarium section Liseola. Comparable results, in terms of both fungal incidence and fumonisin contamination, were obtained for the samples collected at harvest and at the storehouse, opening the possibility to adapt the maize chain monitoring to the needs of the farmer/enterprise. A reduction in fungal colony forming units was noticed after drying, supposedly due to the thermal treatment. Very similar amounts of free and hidden fumonisins were detected in raw maize and after drying, confirming the reliability of the sampling approach. During silo storage, up till to 10 months, a significant decrease was recorded for both free and hidden fumonisins. A significant increase in the free-to-total fumonisin ratio was observed moving from stored kernels to commercial flour, suggesting that milling leads to a reduction of the masked fraction. This result, together with the increase of free fumonisins after maize drying, should be considered in future studies. Especially the effect of drying conditions and milling treatments on the fumonisin masking phenomena should be further investigated.

scholarly journals Fungal populations in the bedroom dust of children in Havana, Cuba, and its relationship with environmental conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenia C. Sánchez Espinosa ◽  
Teresa I. Rojas Flores ◽  
Sonia Rodríguez Davydenko ◽  
Silvia J. Venero Fernández ◽  
Michel Almaguer
Keyword(s):  
House Dust ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Fungal Diversity ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Cumulative Exposure ◽  
Malt Extract ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Fungal Community Composition ◽  
Direct Microscopy

Abstract The study of the fungal community composition in house dust is useful to assess the cumulative exposure to fungi in indoor environments. The objective of this research was to characterize the fungal diversity of house dust and its association with the environmental conditions of bedrooms. For this, the dust was collected from 41 bedrooms of children between the ages of 8 and 9 with a family history of asthma, residents of Havana, Cuba. The fungal content of each sample was determined by two methods: plate culture with Malt Extract Agar and by direct microscopy. An ecological analysis was carried out from the fungal diversity detected. To describe the factors associated with the fungi detected, bivariate logistic regression was used. Through direct microscopy, between 10-2311 fragments of hyphae and spores corresponding mainly to Cladosporium, Coprinus, Curvularia, Aspergillus/Penicillium, Xylariaceae, and Periconia were identified. Through the culture, 0–208 CFU were quantified, where Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Penicillium predominated. The culturability evidenced the differences between the quantification determined by both methods. A positive relationship was found between the type of cleaning of the furniture, the presence of trees in front of the bedroom, indoor relative humidity, indoor temperature, the presence of air conditioning by air conditioning and natural ventilation with specific spore types and genders. The use of two different identification methods allowed to detect a greater fungal diversity in the residences evaluated. Monitoring the exposure to these fungal allergens in childhood can help to prevent sensitization in the allergic child, the development of asthma and other respiratory diseases.

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