Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China.
Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Coastal Upwelling Ecosystem, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shantou, 515041, PR China.
Mar Environ Res. 2024 Jul;199:106597. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106597. Epub 2024 Jun 11.
Macroalgae play crucial roles as major habitat-forming organisms in marine ecosystems, having significant impacts on coral recruitment and reef recovery. However, the interactions between marine macroalgae and coral larvae remain poorly understood. Furthermore, little is known whether differences in bacterial assemblages associated with macroalgae may play roles in this process. Here, we comprehensively investigated the impacts of different macroalgae and their associated microbiomes on larval settlement and survival of coral Pocillopora damicornis. The results revealed significant variations in larval settlement and survival rates when exposed to different macroalgal species. The highest settlement rate, reaching 90%, was observed in the presence of the red alga Hypnea pannosa, followed by green algae Caulerpa serrulata, C. racemosa, and brown algae Turbinaria gracilis, Sargassum polycystum. Correspondingly, similarities in bacterial compositions were observed between H. pannosa and C. racemosa, as well as between T. gracilis and S. polycystum, implying associated bacterial may be related with the algal functions. Furthermore, macroalgae that facilitate larval settlement exhibited higher abundances of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) associated with the metabolism of dimethylsulfoniopropionate or the antagonism of known coral pathogens. However, the brown alga Padina boryana failed to induce larval settlement with survival rate of zero after 120 h. The algal species harbored more abundances of ASVs related to Rhizobiaceae. These findings highlight the significant impact of macroalgae and their associated microbiomes on coral recruitment, as they influence both larval settlement and survival rates.
大型藻类在海洋生态系统中作为主要的栖息地形成生物发挥着关键作用，对珊瑚幼体的补充和珊瑚礁的恢复有着重大影响。然而，海洋大型藻类和珊瑚幼虫之间的相互作用仍知之甚少。此外，人们还不清楚与大型藻类相关的细菌组合的差异是否在这个过程中发挥作用。在这里，我们全面研究了不同大型藻类及其相关微生物组对珊瑚幼虫附着和存活的影响。结果表明，暴露于不同大型藻类物种时，幼虫附着和存活率存在显著差异。当暴露于红藻 Hypnea pannosa 时，幼虫附着率最高，达到 90%，其次是绿藻 Caulerpa serrulata、C. racemosa 和褐藻 Turbinaria gracilis、Sargassum polycystum。相应地，H. pannosa 和 C. racemosa 之间以及 T. gracilis 和 S. polycystum 之间观察到相似的细菌组成，暗示相关细菌可能与藻类功能有关。此外，促进幼虫附着的大型藻类表现出更高丰度的与二甲硫醚代谢或已知珊瑚病原体拮抗相关的扩增子序列变体 (ASV)。然而，褐藻 Padina boryana 在 120 小时后未能诱导幼虫附着，存活率为零。藻类物种携带更多与根瘤菌科相关的 ASV。这些发现强调了大型藻类及其相关微生物组对珊瑚补充的重大影响，因为它们影响幼虫的附着和存活率。
