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Assessing the contribution of bacteria to the heat tolerance of experimentally evolved coral photosymbionts.
- Source :
-
Environmental microbiology [Environ Microbiol] 2023 Dec; Vol. 25 (12), pp. 3298-3318. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Oct 17. - Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Coral reefs are extremely vulnerable to ocean warming, which triggers coral bleaching-the loss of endosymbiotic microalgae (Symbiodiniaceae) from coral tissues, often leading to death. To enhance coral climate resilience, the symbiont, Cladocopium proliferum was experimentally evolved for >10 years under elevated temperatures resulting in increased heat tolerance. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding showed the composition of intra- and extracellular bacterial communities of heat-evolved strains was significantly different from that of wild-type strains, suggesting bacteria responded to elevated temperatures, and may even play a role in C. proliferum thermal tolerance. To assess whether microbiome transplantation could enhance heat tolerance of the sensitive wild-type C. proliferum, we transplanted bacterial communities from heat-evolved to the wild-type strain and subjected it to acute heat stress. Microbiome transplantation resulted in the incorporation of only 30 low-abundance strains into the microbiome of wild-type cultures, while the relative abundance of 14 pre-existing strains doubled in inoculated versus uninoculated samples. Inoculation with either wild-type or heat-evolved bacterial communities boosted C. proliferum growth, although no difference in heat tolerance was observed between the two inoculation treatments. This study provides evidence that Symbiodiniaceae-associated bacterial communities respond to heat selection and may contribute to coral adaptation to climate change.<br /> (© 2023 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Applied Microbiology International and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1462-2920
- Volume :
- 25
- Issue :
- 12
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Environmental microbiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 37849020
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16521