ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0596-8670
Current Organisation
University of California, Irvine
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2010
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 04-09-2009
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS08180
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 05-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 05-2009
DOI: 10.1111/J.1574-6941.2009.00666.X
Abstract: Patterns in the ersity 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 s les 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 s les 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 s les 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.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-01-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1758-2229.2010.00234.X
Abstract: Understanding the effects of elevated seawater temperatures on each member of the coral holobiont (the complex comprised of coral polyps and associated symbiotic microorganisms, including Bacteria, viruses, Fungi, Archaea and endolithic algae) is becoming increasingly important as evidence accumulates that microbial members contribute to overall coral health, particularly during thermal stress. Here we use a metagenomic approach to identify metabolic and taxonomic shifts in microbial communities associated with the hard coral Acropora millepora throughout a natural thermal bleaching event at Magnetic Island (Great Barrier Reef). A direct comparison of metagenomic data sets from healthy versus bleached corals indicated major shifts in microbial associates during heat stress, including Bacteria, Archaea, viruses, Fungi and micro-algae. Overall, metabolism of the microbial community shifted from autotrophy to heterotrophy, including increases in genes associated with the metabolism of fatty acids, proteins, simple carbohydrates, phosphorus and sulfur. In addition, the proportion of virulence genes was higher in the bleached library, indicating an increase in microorganisms capable of pathogenesis following bleaching. These results demonstrate that thermal stress results in shifts in coral-associated microbial communities that may lead to deteriorating coral health.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2008
No related grants have been discovered for Raechel Littman.