Lock Colin, Miller Therese C, Anthony Colin J, Rouzé Héloïse, Fifer James, McDermott Grace, Tramonte Carlos A, Paulino Loreto, Davies Sarah W, Raymundo Laurie, Bentlage Bastian
Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam, USA.
Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia.
Environ Microbiol. 2025 Sep;27(9):e70175. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.70175.
Coral reefs face significant threats across the globe, prompting a surge in restoration efforts aimed at mitigating their global decline. The health, resilience, and adaptability of corals are greatly influenced by their microbial communities, and while the response of coral microbiomes to many environmental stressors has been extensively studied, less is known about their natural dynamics following transplantation, which is an essential process for restoring degraded reef habitats. In this study, we integrated DNA metabarcoding (16S & ITS2) with ecological monitoring to investigate the dynamics of Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial communities in two dominant coral spp., Porites lobata and Porites cylindrica, and their different colour morphs, as they underwent transplantation and an 18-week acclimatisation period. We saw significant differences in microbial communities between the two Porites spp., outplanting sites, and individual coral colonies, as well as a colour morph-related difference in P. lobata bacterial communities. We saw reduced relative abundances of Endozoicomonadaceae, specifically from the genus Parendozoicomonas, following transplantation. P. lobata colonies with later Symbiodiniaceae shifts (18 weeks) had lower long-term survival. Changes in Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial communities have implications for holobiont function and colony survival, which should be considered when designing and implementing coral reef rehabilitation projects.
全球范围内，珊瑚礁面临着重大威胁，这促使旨在缓解其全球衰退的恢复工作激增。珊瑚的健康、恢复力和适应能力受到其微生物群落的极大影响，虽然珊瑚微生物群对许多环境压力源的反应已得到广泛研究，但对于移植后它们的自然动态了解较少，而移植是恢复退化珊瑚礁栖息地的一个重要过程。在本研究中，我们将DNA宏条形码技术（16S和ITS2）与生态监测相结合，以研究两种优势珊瑚物种——扁脑珊瑚（Porites lobata）和柱脑珊瑚（Porites cylindrica）及其不同颜色形态在进行移植和18周适应期时共生藻和细菌群落的动态变化。我们发现，两种脑珊瑚物种、移栽地点和单个珊瑚群体之间的微生物群落存在显著差异，并且在扁脑珊瑚的细菌群落中存在与颜色形态相关的差异。我们还发现，移植后内共生菌科（Endozoicomonadaceae），特别是副内共生菌属（Parendozoicomonas）的相对丰度降低。共生藻后期发生变化（18周）的扁脑珊瑚群体长期存活率较低。共生藻和细菌群落的变化对共生体功能和群体存活有影响，在设计和实施珊瑚礁修复项目时应予以考虑。
