海南岛周边海域造礁石珊瑚的群落结构及其分布

基于形态学分类鉴定,并辅以分子标记,我们于2014–2015年调查分析了海南岛文昌云龙湾、万宁大洲岛、儋州磷枪石岛、昌江沙鱼塘村、三亚鹿回头海域造礁石珊瑚的种类组成和分布。结果表明,海南造礁石珊瑚的分布较为广泛,共鉴定出10科17属55种,其中鹿角珊瑚科、滨珊瑚科和蜂巢珊瑚科为优势科。各海域造礁石珊瑚的群落结构不同:南部三亚鹿回头海域以分枝状鹿角珊瑚为主,东部文昌云龙湾和万宁大洲岛海域分别以叶片状和分枝状蔷薇珊瑚为主,而西部儋州磷枪石岛和昌江沙鱼塘村则分别以团块状滨珊瑚和蜂巢珊瑚为主。不同的地理环境使海南岛周边海域珊瑚礁群落呈现出不同的演替型,具有明显的地域性分布特点。5个不同海域造礁石珊瑚的覆盖率和多样性指数依次为:三亚鹿回头文昌云龙湾昌江沙鱼塘村万宁大洲岛儋州磷枪石岛,覆盖率和多样性指数具有明显的正相关性。与2005–2010年的调查结果相比,文昌云龙湾和万宁大洲岛保护区造礁石珊瑚的覆盖率和多样性指数有所上升,昌江沙鱼塘村和三亚鹿回头相对稳定,儋州磷枪石岛则下降比较明显。死亡率较高的是昌江沙鱼塘村邻近海域,且多为最近半年内死亡。人类活动(保护性或破坏性)极大地影响着造礁石珊瑚的多样性、覆盖率和死亡率。     

造礁石珊瑚共附生固氮微生物的固氮活性

造礁石珊瑚是珊瑚礁生态系统的主要建造者,其共附生微生物参与的生物固氮过程可以缓解寡营养海域的氮素限制,从而维持珊瑚礁生态系统较高的初级生产力。本研究以位于海南三亚鹿回头和西沙南沙洲两地的造礁石珊瑚为对象,采用乙炔还原法测定了不同季节及不同物种的珊瑚共附生固氮微生物的固氮活性;同时测定了海水营养盐含量,分析了珊瑚固氮活性与环境因子之间的关系。结果表明:三亚鹿回头海域的鹿角杯形珊瑚(Pocillopora damicornis)、澄黄滨珊瑚(Porites lutea)和芽枝鹿角珊瑚(Acropora gemmifera)的固氮活性无季节性差异;但相同季节3种珊瑚的固氮活性具有显著的物种间差异,其中鹿角杯形珊瑚的固氮活性最高(P0.05),夏季为5.925×10~(-11)mol C_2H_4·g~(-1)·h~(-1),冬季为6.471×10~(-11)mol C_2H_4·g~(-1)·h~(-1);西沙寡营养条件下的澄黄滨珊瑚的固氮活性在夏季为5.401×10~(-11)mol C_2H_4·g~(-1)·h~(-1),显著高于同一季节三亚鹿回头的澄黄滨珊瑚的固氮活性(1.971×10~(-11)mol C_2H_4·g~(-1)·h~(-1))(P0.01)。研究表明,在营养盐浓度较高的背景下,珊瑚的固氮活性受环境因子和季节变化的影响较小。西沙南沙州海水中溶解性营养盐浓度的升高可能会减弱珊瑚共附生固氮微生物的固氮能力。     

鹿回头多孔鹿角珊瑚与丛生盔形珊瑚性腺组织学研究

造礁石珊瑚繁殖生物学是开展珊瑚有性修复技术的基础, 对珊瑚礁生态系统修复具有重要的指导意义。本研究选取三亚鹿回头多孔鹿角珊瑚(Acropora millepora)与丛生盔形珊瑚(Galaxea fascicularis)作为研究对象, 观察它们性腺特征, 明确多孔鹿角珊瑚与丛生盔形珊瑚有性繁殖类型。结果表明: (1) 多孔鹿角珊瑚是雌雄同体产卵型珊瑚, 丛生盔形珊瑚是假雌全异株产卵型珊瑚; (2) 多孔鹿角珊瑚和丛生盔形珊瑚的虫黄藻都由后天获取; (3)多孔鹿角珊瑚在其卵母细胞和精母细胞发育到Ⅳ时相后, 卵巢与精巢之间肠表皮消失, 并在随后的5 d 左右产卵; 丛生盔形珊瑚在其卵母细胞发育到Ⅲ时相后的20 d 左右产卵。本研究结果, 为三亚海域造礁石珊瑚繁殖生物学的深入研究提供基础数据支持。     

运用PCR-RFLP方法研究三亚鹿回头岸礁造礁石珊瑚共生藻的组成

造礁石珊瑚共生藻的系统分类研究对于理解珊瑚礁生态系统对全球变化的响应具有十分重要的意义.本研究利用PCR技术扩增核糖体基因人亚基片段以及限制性片段长度多态性(RFLP)的方法,对海南三亚鹿回头岸礁的8科14属22种造礁石珊瑚的共生藻组成进行了研究.结果表明鹿回头岸礁造礁石珊瑚共生藻以C系群为优势系群,偶尔发现D系群与鹿角杯形珊瑚(Pocilolpora damieornis)和黄癣蜂巢珊瑚(Favia favus)共生:另外丑鹿角珊瑚(Acropora horrida)和丛生盔形珊瑚(Galaxea fascicularis)可以同时与C系群和D系群共生.共生多型性的发现暗示珊瑚与共生藻的共生关系具有灵活性.研究结果同样显示共生藻的核糖体基因人片段的DNA多态性偏低.未来应该结合其他的分子标记对鹿回头岸礁造礁石珊瑚共生藻的DNA多态性进行更深入的研究.     

澄黄滨珊瑚和丛生盔型珊瑚非培养放线菌多样性

【目的】研究澄黄滨珊瑚(Porites lutea)和丛生盔型珊瑚(Galaxea fascicularis)联合放线菌物种多样性。【方法】实验提取两种珊瑚的总DNA,利用放线菌特异性引物对样品总DNA进行扩增,通过构建16S rRNA基因克隆文库和系统发育分析,对三亚鹿回头岸礁区优势物种澄黄滨珊瑚和丛生盔型珊瑚联合放线菌的多样性和群落结构进行研究。【结果】118个从澄黄滨珊瑚克隆文库中随机挑选的阳性克隆子归为58个OTUs,主要分布于酸微菌亚目、棒状杆菌亚目、微球菌亚目、丙酸杆菌亚目和未知类群。丛生盔型珊瑚克隆文库共获得96个序列,归为31个OTUs,主要分布于酸微菌亚目和未知的放线菌类群。多样性指数和稀疏度曲线分析结果显示澄黄滨珊瑚联合放线菌物种多样性比丛生盔型珊瑚更高。【结论】澄黄滨珊瑚和丛生盔型珊瑚拥有较高水平的放线菌物种多样性和复杂的群落结构,并隐藏着大量的高等级放线菌新分类单元。     

磷酸盐胁迫对造礁石珊瑚共生虫黄藻光合作用的影响

以佳丽鹿角珊瑚(Acropora pulchra)和多孔鹿角珊瑚(Acropora millepora)两种造礁石珊瑚为材料研究磷酸盐浓度对共生虫黄藻光合作用的影响.研究表明,佳丽鹿角珊瑚(A. Pulchra)和多孔鹿角珊瑚(A. Millepora)在对照组磷酸盐浓度下,共生虫黄藻的叶绿素荧光参数Fv/Fm值处于稳定状态,在15μmol/L和30μmol/L磷酸盐浓度下,虫黄藻的Fv/Fm值很快受到抑制,分别经过2d和5d开始慢慢恢复,但是最终只能恢复到比对照组较低的水平.同时两种珊瑚的共生虫黄藻密度也有所降低,尤其佳丽鹿角珊瑚(A. Pulchra)降低更加明显,15μmol/L和30μmol/L浓度下共生虫黄藻密度分别比对照组下降低5.59%和14.69%.因此, 佳丽鹿角珊瑚(A. Pulchra)和多孔鹿角珊瑚(A. Millepora)最大可以忍受30μmol/L的磷酸盐浓度,但是在30μmol/L浓度的耐受范围内,随着磷酸盐浓度的不断提高,珊瑚共生虫黄藻Fv/Fm值显著下降,珊瑚共生虫黄藻密度显著降低.     

海洋酸化对珊瑚礁生态系统的影响研究进展

目前,大气CO2浓度的升高已导致海水pH值比工业革命前下降了约0.1,海水碳酸盐平衡体系随之变化,进而影响珊瑚礁生态系统的健康。近年来的研究表明海洋酸化导致造礁石珊瑚幼体补充和群落恢复更加困难,造礁石珊瑚和其它造礁生物(Reef-building organisms)钙化率降低甚至溶解,乃至影响珊瑚礁鱼类的生命活动。虽然海洋酸化对造礁石珊瑚光合作用的影响不显著,但珊瑚-虫黄藻共生体系会受到一定影响。建议选择典型海区进行长期系统监测,结合室内与原位模拟试验,从个体、种群、群落到系统不同层面,运用生理学和分子生物学技术,结合生态学研究手段,综合研究珊瑚的相应响应,以期深入认识海洋酸化对珊瑚礁生态系统健康(例如珊瑚白化)的影响及其效应。     

三亚鹿回头石珊瑚物种多样性的空间分布

对三亚鹿回头珊瑚岸礁沿垂直岸线的5条断面上84个调查样方观测照相和室内判读分析,鹿回头岸段石珊瑚共有13科24属69种,珊瑚分布不均,少数种类优势明显.石珊瑚优势种为澄黄滨珊瑚,其重要值百分比为36.62%;优势属为滨珊瑚属(43.85%)和鹿角珊瑚属(22.88%).各断面间多样性格局差异明显,并存在明显的垂直分带现象:东北部第1、2断面石珊瑚种类分布较为均匀,多样性指数值高于中南部第3、4、5断面;礁坪为珊瑚稀疏生长带,种类较少且滨珊瑚为绝对优势属(重要值百分比＞50%);礁坡为珊瑚密集生长带,种类较多以鹿角珊瑚最占优势(28.33%),滨珊瑚仅次之(26.71%).近年来该岸段珊瑚礁衰退趋势明显,不合理的破坏性人类活动是重要原因.石珊瑚多样性的空间差异除因礁坪礁坡不同的自然环境外,主要与受到不同类型和强度的人类活动有关.礁坪大潮低潮时暴露,环境恶劣,且受人类采挖、践踏活动影响较频繁和明显;礁坡环境适宜,人类活动影响也相对微弱.养殖、捕捞和近岸排污等人类活动在岸段中南部较为突出,对珊瑚多样性的影响比东北部明显.在尊重珊瑚礁发育的自然规律基础上不断加大力度制止养殖、不合理捕捞和近岸排污等破坏性人类活动,才能更好地科学保护和管理该岸段珊瑚礁.     

造礁石珊瑚共生虫黄藻离体培养方法的优化

【目的】开发一种高效地从造礁石珊瑚中分离、培养共生虫黄藻的技术方法,为珊瑚共生虫黄藻藻种资源储备和生理功能研究积累基础。【方法】首先采用微孔滤网过滤法和密度梯度离心法从造礁石珊瑚组织中直接分离或富集共生虫黄藻细胞,然后用改良的L1培养基在96孔板上对所得细胞进行离体培养,最后进行单细胞分离、培养和(或)平板划线培养获得单克隆虫黄藻细胞系。对所得虫黄藻单克隆藻株进行聚合酶链式反应-限制性内切酶片段长度多态性(polymerase chainreaction-restrictionfragmentlengthpolymorphism,PCR-RFLP)分析,结合内转录间隔区2(internal transcribed spacer2,ITS2)和大亚基(large subunit,LSU)测序进行物种鉴定及系统发育分析。【结果】采用上述方法从涠洲岛的霜鹿角珊瑚(Acropora pruinose)和西沙群岛的丛生盔形珊瑚(Galaxea fascicularis)及柔枝鹿角珊瑚(Acropora tenuis)中分离、培养得到3个虫黄藻株系,编号分别为AP21C1、GF21D1和AT21A...     

基于RFLP技术的鹿角杯形珊瑚共附生固氮菌多样性分析

对三亚湾鹿回头与西沙石岛的常见鹿角杯形珊瑚(Pocillopora damicornis)的固氮酶nif H基因多样性进行了分析,并对其共附生固氮微生物多样性进行了比较。利用Taq I和HaeⅢ两种限制性内切酶分别对三亚湾珊瑚的粘液(SYN)、组织(SYZ)和西沙珊瑚组织(XSZ)的阳性克隆子进行聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性(PCR-RFLP)分析,得到了23,25和13个OTUs,文库的覆盖率分别为90.3%,87.5%和94.1%,多样性指数Shannon-Wiener指数(H)分别为2.28,3.02和2.08,Evenness指数(E)分别为0.5,0.65和0.56。研究结果表明:1)3个文库重要组成部分都是绿菌门(Chlorobia)和变形菌门(Proteobacteria)α-亚门、γ-亚门、δ-亚门细菌;2)3个文库绝大部分OTUs的最相似序列来自珊瑚礁、海绵、水体、沉积物等环境中的不可培养细菌,反映鹿角杯形珊瑚组织和粘液可能蕴含着丰富的尚未被培养的固氮菌资源;3)发现了两大重要的类群——分别与绿菌门和脱硫弧菌属(Desulfovibrio)细菌序列最相似的类群,它们通过为珊瑚共生体提供有机氮源参与到珊瑚白化的调节或恢复过程中,在珊瑚共生体营养物质的循环中充当重要角色;4)从多样性指数分析可以看出,SYZ的固氮微生物多样性高于SYN,SYZ的固氮微生物多样性高于XSZ,反映了鹿角杯形珊瑚生活的地理位置不同,固氮菌共附生的生态位不同(如珊瑚粘液、组织等不同部位),都将导致珊瑚共附生固氮菌多样性的差异。     

Species-specific interactions between algal endosymbionts and coral hosts define their bleaching response to heat and light stress

The impacts of warming seas on the frequency and severity of bleaching events are well documented, but the potential for different Symbiodinium types to enhance the physiological tolerance of reef corals is not well understood. Here we compare the functionality and physiological properties of juvenile corals when experimentally infected with one of two homologous Symbiodinium types and exposed to combined heat and light stress. A suite of physiological indicators including chlorophyll a fluorescence, oxygen production and respiration, as well as pigment concentration consistently demonstrated lower metabolic costs and enhanced physiological tolerance of Acropora tenuis juveniles when hosting Symbiodinium type C1 compared with type D. In other studies, the same D-type has been shown to confer higher thermal tolerance than both C2 in adults and C1 in juveniles of the closely related species Acropora millepora. Our results challenge speculations that associations with type D are universally most robust to thermal stress. Although the heat tolerance of corals may be contingent on the Symbiodinium strain in hospite, our results highlight the complexity of interactions between symbiotic partners and a potential role for host factors in determining the physiological performance of reef corals.     

How Quickly do Fragments of Coral “Self‐Attach” after Transplantation?

Transplantation of coral fragments is seen as a potential method to rapidly restore coral cover to areas of degraded reef; however, considerable research is still needed to assess the effectiveness of coral transplantation as a viable reef restoration tool. Initially, during restoration efforts, coral transplants are attached artificially. Self‐attachment (i.e., growth of coral tissue onto the substrate) provides a more secure and lasting bond, thus knowledge about self‐attachment times for corals is of importance to reef restoration. While it is known that coral fragments may generate new tissue and bond to substrata within a few weeks of transplantation, surprisingly little is known about the speed of self‐attachment for most species. Two independent experiments were carried out to examine the self‐attachment times of 12 scleractinian and one non‐scleractinian coral species to a natural calcium carbonate substrate. The first experiment examined times to self‐attachment in 11 species of differing morphologies from seven families over approximately 7 months, whereas the second experiment examined three fast‐attaching Acropora species over approximately 1 month. In the first experiment, the branching species Acropora muricata had a significantly faster self‐attachment time compared to all other species, while Echinopora lamellosa had the slowest self‐attachment time. For the second experiment, A. muricata was significantly slower to self‐attach than Acropora hyacinthus (tabular) and Acropora digitifera (corymbose‐digitate). The results suggest that a combination of factors including growth rates, growth form and life history may determine how quickly fragments of coral species self‐attach after fragmentation and transplantation.     

Resistance to thermal stress in corals without changes in symbiont composition

Discovering how corals can adjust their thermal sensitivity in the context of global climate change is important in understanding the long-term persistence of coral reefs. In this study, we showed that short-term preconditioning to higher temperatures, 3°C below the experimentally determined bleaching threshold, for a period of 10 days provides thermal tolerance for the symbiosis stability between the scleractinian coral, Acropora millepora and Symbiodinium. Based on genotypic analysis, our results indicate that the acclimatization of this coral species to thermal stress does not come down to simple changes in Symbiodinium and/or the bacterial communities that associate with reef-building corals. This suggests that the physiological plasticity of the host and/or symbiotic components appears to play an important role in responding to ocean warming. The further study of host and symbiont physiology, both of Symbiodinium and prokaryotes, is of paramount importance in the context of global climate change, as mechanisms for rapid holobiont acclimatization will become increasingly important to the long-standing persistence of coral reefs.     

Corals form characteristic associations with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria

The complex symbiotic relationship between corals and their dinoflagellate partner Symbiodinium is believed to be sustained through close associations with mutualistic bacterial communities, though little is known about coral associations with bacterial groups able to fix nitrogen (diazotrophs). In this study, we investigated the diversity of diazotrophic bacterial communities associated with three common coral species (Acropora millepora, Acropora muricata, and Pocillopora damicormis) from three midshelf locations of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) by profiling the conserved subunit of the nifH gene, which encodes the dinitrogenase iron protein. Comparisons of diazotrophic community diversity among coral tissue and mucus microenvironments and the surrounding seawater revealed that corals harbor diverse nifH phylotypes that differ between tissue and mucus microhabitats. Coral mucus nifH sequences displayed high heterogeneity, and many bacterial groups overlapped with those found in seawater. Moreover, coral mucus diazotrophs were specific neither to coral species nor to reef location, reflecting the ephemeral nature of coral mucus. In contrast, the dominant diazotrophic bacteria in tissue samples differed among coral species, with differences remaining consistent at all three reefs, indicating that coral-diazotroph associations are species specific. Notably, dominant diazotrophs for all coral species were closely related to the bacterial group rhizobia, which represented 71% of the total sequences retrieved from tissue samples. The species specificity of coral-diazotroph associations further supports the coral holobiont model that bacterial groups associated with corals are conserved. Our results suggest that, as in terrestrial plants, rhizobia have developed a mutualistic relationship with corals and may contribute fixed nitrogen to Symbiodinium.     

Spatial pattern of coral diversity in Luhuitou fringing reef, Sanya, China

84 quadrats from 5 vertical transects of Luhuitou fringing reef are investigated in detail by using video-quadrat and indoor-interpretation methods. The results show that (1) the reef consists of 69 species of hermatypic corals belonging to 24 genera and 13 families which are unevenly distributed in abundance. (2) Among all the corals, Porites lutea is the most dominant species with importance value percentage up to 36.62%; Porites and Acropora are dominant genera with importance value percentages 43.85% and 22.88%, respectively. (3) There exist distinct spatial differences in coral communities. Both the coral covers and coral diversity indices on the northeastern transects are higher than those on the central and southern transects. (4) Coral communities also show remarkable zonal characteristics with less coral species occurring on reef flat than on reef slope. The importance value percentage of the sole dominant coral genus, Porites, is over 50%, while on the reef slope, the importance value percentages are 28.33% for the first dominant genus Acropora and 26.71% for the second dominant genus Porites. Our further analysis suggests that the spatial and zonal differences of coral diversity pattern are correlated with both natural environmental changes and human activities. The shallow water reef flat is frequently exposed at low tide and it receives more anthropogenic influences (including dredging and trampling) than the deep water reef slope. Thus, the coral community on the reef flat is not as well developed as that on reef slope. The relatively poor coral covers and coral diversity indices on the central and southern transects are closely related to heavy human activities around these sites such as aquaculture, fishing and coastal sewage drainage. Therefore, the impact of human activities must be taken into account in developing strategies for the protection of this coral reef.     

Spatial pattern of coral diversity in Luhuitou fringing reef, Sanya, China

84 quadrats from 5 vertical transects of Luhuitou fringing reef are investigated in detail by using video-quadrat and indoor-interpretation methods. The results show that (1) the reef consists of 69 species of hermatypic corals belonging to 24 genera and 13 families which are unevenly distributed in abundance. (2) Among all the corals, Porites lutea is the most dominant species with importance value percentage up to 36.62%; Porites and Acropora are dominant genera with importance value percentages 43.85% and 22.88%, respectively. (3) There exist distinct spatial differences in coral communities. Both the coral covers and coral diversity indices on the northeastern transects are higher than those on the central and southern transects. (4) Coral communities also show remarkable zonal characteristics with less coral species occurring on reef flat than on reef slope. The importance value percentage of the sole dominant coral genus, Porites, is over 50%, while on the reef slope, the importance value percentages are 28.33% for the first dominant genus Acropora and 26.71% for the second dominant genus Porites. Our further analysis suggests that the spatial and zonal differences of coral diversity pattern are correlated with both natural environmental changes and human activities. The shallow water reef flat is frequently exposed at low tide and it receives more anthropogenic influences (including dredging and trampling) than the deep water reef slope. Thus, the coral community on the reef flat is not as well developed as that on reef slope. The relatively poor coral covers and coral diversity indices on the central and southern transects are closely related to heavy human activities around these sites such as aquaculture, fishing and coastal sewage drainage. Therefore, the impact of human activities must be taken into account in developing strategies for the protection of this coral reef.     

Diversities of coral-associated bacteria differ with location, but not species, for three acroporid corals on the Great Barrier Reef

Patterns in the diversity of bacterial communities associated with three species of Acropora ( Acropora millepora, Acropora tenuis and Acropora valida ) were compared at two locations (Magnetic Island and Orpheus Island) on the Great Barrier Reef to better understand the nature and specificity of coral–microbial symbioses. Three culture-independent techniques demonstrated consistent bacterial communities among replicate samples of each coral species, confirming that corals associate with specific microbiota. Profiles were also conserved among all three species of Acropora within each location, suggesting that closely related corals of the same genus harbor similar bacterial types. Bacterial community profiles of A. millepora at Orpheus Island were consistent in samples collected throughout the year, indicating a stable community despite temporal changes. However, DGGE and T-RFLP profiles differed on corals from different reefs. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling of T-RFLP profiles showed that samples grouped according to location rather than coral species. Although similar sequences were retrieved from clone libraries of corals at both Magnetic and Orpheus Island, differences in the relative dominant bacterial ribotypes within the libraries drive bacterial community structure at different geographical locations. These results indicate certain bacterial groups associated specifically with corals, but the dominant bacterial genera differ between geographically-spaced corals.     

Host adaptation and unexpected symbiont partners enable reef‐building corals to tolerate extreme temperatures

Understanding the potential for coral adaptation to warming seas is complicated by interactions between symbiotic partners that define stress responses and the difficulties of tracking selection in natural populations. To overcome these challenges, we characterized the contribution of both animal host and symbiotic algae to thermal tolerance in corals that have already experienced considerable warming on par with end‐of‐century projections for most coral reefs. Thermal responses in Platygyra daedalea corals from the hot Persian Gulf where summer temperatures reach 36°C were compared with conspecifics from the milder Sea of Oman. Persian Gulf corals had higher rates of survival at elevated temperatures (33 and 36°C) in both the nonsymbiotic larval stage (32–49% higher) and the symbiotic adult life stage (51% higher). Additionally, Persian Gulf hosts had fixed greater potential to mitigate oxidative stress (31–49% higher) and their Symbiodinium partners had better retention of photosynthetic performance under elevated temperature (up to 161% higher). Superior thermal tolerance of Persian Gulf vs. Sea of Oman corals was maintained after 6‐month acclimatization to a common ambient environment and was underpinned by genetic divergence in both the coral host and symbiotic algae. In P. daedalea host samples, genomewide SNP variation clustered into two discrete groups corresponding with Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman sites. Symbiodinium within host tissues predominantly belonged to ITS2 rDNA type C3 in the Persian Gulf and type D1a in the Sea of Oman contradicting patterns of Symbiodinium thermal tolerance from other regions. Our findings provide evidence that genetic adaptation of both host and Symbiodinium has enabled corals to cope with extreme temperatures in the Persian Gulf. Thus, the persistence of coral populations under continued warming will likely be determined by evolutionary rates in both, rather than single, symbiotic partners.     

The impact of reduced pH on the microbial community of the coral Acropora eurystoma

Rising concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide are acidifying the world''s oceans. Surface seawater pH is 0.1 units lower than pre-industrial values and is predicted to decrease by up to 0.4 units by the end of the century. This change in pH may result in changes in the physiology of ocean organisms, in particular, organisms that build their skeletons/shells from calcium carbonate, such as corals. This physiological change may also affect other members of the coral holobiont, for example, the microbial communities associated with the coral, which in turn may affect the coral physiology and health. In the present study, we examined changes in bacterial communities in the coral mucus, tissue and skeleton following exposure of the coral Acropora eurystoma to two different pH conditions: 7.3 and 8.2 (ambient seawater). The microbial community was different at the two pH values, as determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Further analysis of the community in the corals maintained at the lower pH revealed an increase in bacteria associated with diseased and stressed corals, such as Vibrionaceae and Alteromonadaceae. In addition, an increase in the number of potential antibacterial activity was recorded among the bacteria isolated from the coral maintained at pH 7.3. Taken together, our findings highlight the impact that changes in the pH may have on the coral-associated bacterial community and their potential contribution to the coral host.