微生物在珊瑚礁生态系统中的作用与功能

珊瑚礁是由珊瑚、鱼类、底栖生物、藻类以及微生物等多种生命形式组成的聚集体,代表着一类典型的海洋生态系统.珊瑚礁存在于热带和亚热带的寡营养环境,拥有极高的初级生产力和生产效率,被誉为“海底热带雨林”.微生物在珊瑚礁生态系统的生物地球化学循环、物质转化以及健康维护上具有重要作用.随着分子生态学的发展,微生物在珊瑚中的作用和功能日益凸显.本文总结了微生物生态学的研究现状,包括珊瑚生态系统中微生物的定植方式,共生微生物的特性(专一性、可塑性、协同进化),共生微生物与珊瑚疾病的关系与信号调节,以及微生物应对全球变化(气温升高、海水酸化、富营养化)的响应.从“珊瑚 微生物”共生体的发生、共生微生物的特性与生态功能，以及全球环境变化下微生物的衍生效应来梳理最新理论与成果,明确珊瑚微生物生态学机制,为更好地保护珊瑚资源、维护海洋生物多样性提供理论借鉴.

A review of the role and function of microbes in coral reef ecosystem.

Coral reef is consisted with several kinds of reef-associated organisms, including coral, fish, benthos, algae and microbes, which is an important marine ecosystem. Coral reef lives in the oligotrophic environment, has very highly primary productivity and net productivity, and is called “tropical rain forest in ocean”. In corals, diverse microorganisms exert a significant influence on biogeochemical and ecological processes, including food webs, organism life cycles, and nutrient cycling. With the development of molecular biology, the role of microorganisms in a coral system is becoming more outstanding. In this article, we reviewed current understanding on 1) the onset of coral-bacterial associations; 2) the characteristics of microbes in coral (specificity, plasticity and co-evolution); 3) the role and signal regulation of microbes in the health and disease of coral; and 4) the response mechanism of microbes for global climatic change and consequent effects, such as temperature rise, ocean acidification and eutrophication. The aims of this article were to summarize the latest theories and achievements, clear the mechanism of microbial ecology in coral reefs and provide a theoretical reference for better protection and maintaining the coral’s biodiversity.