Local versus site-level effects of algae on coral microbial communities
Date
2021-09-15Metadata
Show full item recordCitable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/27773As published
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.210035DOI
10.1098/rsos.210035Keyword
microbiomes; microbial ecology; coral reefs; bacteria; phycobiomeAbstract
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.
Description
© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Briggs, A. A., Brown, A. L., & Osenberg, C. W. Local versus site-level effects of algae on coral microbial communities. Royal Society Open Science, 8(9), (2021): 210035, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.210035.
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Suggested Citation
Briggs, A. A., Brown, A. L., & Osenberg, C. W. (2021). Local versus site-level effects of algae on coral microbial communities. Royal Society Open Science, 8(9), 210035.The following license files are associated with this item:
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