Department of Life Science, Multidisciplinary Genome Institute, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, 24252, Republic of Korea.
The Korean Institute of Nutrition, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea.
NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2023 Oct 31;9(1):83. doi: 10.1038/s41522-023-00450-z.
Sea urchins are biotic factors driving the decline of kelp forests in marine ecosystems. However, few studies have analyzed the microbiota of surviving sea urchins in barren regions with scarce diet resources. Here, we analyzed the microbiota in the pharynx and gut of the sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus located along the coast of an expanding barren region in South Korea. The ecological adaptation of genera in sea urchins was predicted using the neutral assembly model. The pharynx and gut microbiota were different, and microbes in the surrounding habitats dispersed more to the pharynx than to the gut. The gut microbiota in sea urchins is altered by barren severity and plays different roles in host energy metabolism. These findings help to understand the microbiota in sea urchins according to urchin barren and its contribution to the survival of sea urchins in severe barren regions with limited macroalgae.
海胆是驱动海洋生态系统中大型海藻林衰退的生物因素。然而，很少有研究分析在缺乏食物资源的贫瘠地区中幸存海胆的微生物群。在这里，我们分析了位于韩国不断扩大的贫瘠地区沿海的糙海胆 Mesocentrotus nudus 的咽和肠道中的微生物群。使用中性组装模型预测了海胆属中属的生态适应性。咽和肠道的微生物群不同，周围生境中的微生物更多地分布到咽，而不是肠道。海胆的肠道微生物群受贫瘠严重程度的影响，并在宿主能量代谢中发挥不同的作用。这些发现有助于根据海胆的贫瘠情况了解海胆的微生物群，并了解其在有限大型海藻的严重贫瘠地区对海胆生存的贡献。
