8 research outputs found
Geographical location and habitat predict variation in prokaryotic community composition of Suberites diversicolor
Purpose: Marine lakes are unique habitats that house diverse assemblages of benthic and planktonic organisms including endemic species. In this study, we aimed to assess to what extent geographical location (Berau versus Papua) and the degree of marine lake connectivity (relatively open versus closed) to the surrounding marine environment structures the prokaryotic community composition of the sponge species Suberites diversicolor.
Methods: Sponge specimens were sampled in five marine lakes in Borneo and Papua and one open sea habitat in Taiwan.
Result: Prokaryotic communities of S. diversicolor were dominated by members assigned to the Proteobacteria (particularly Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria) and Cyanobacteria, which together made up from 78 to 87% of sequences in all samples. The dominant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in most samples, OTUs 1 and 3, were both assigned to the alphaproteobacterial order Rhodospirillales with OTU-1 dominant in the marine lakes of Berau and Papua and OTU-3 in Taiwan. OTU-3 was also largely absent from Papuan samples but present in all Berau samples. Compositionally, S. diversicolor samples clustered according to geographical location with the main axis of variation separating marine lake samples collected in Berau from those collected in Papua and the second axis of variation separating open sea samples collected in Taiwan from all marine lake samples. In addition, our results suggest that the degree of lake connectivity to the open sea also influences prokaryotic composition. Conclusion: Although previous studies have shown that sponge-associated microbial communities tend to be
stable across different geographical and environmental gradients, in the present study, both geography and local environmental conditions were significant predictors of variation in prokaryotic community composition of S. diversicolor.publishe
Bacterial composition and putative functions associated with sponges, sediment and seawater from the Tioman coral reef system, Peninsular Malaysia
Microbial communities associated with sponges play important roles in sponge health, defence and nutrient dynamics in coral reef systems. Here, we used a 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing approach in order to test for differences in bacterial composition and predictive functional differences among two LMA (low microbial abundance) (Stylissa carteri and Stylissa massa), one well-known HMA (high microbial abundance) (Xestospongia testudinaria), one putative HMA (Aaptos lobata) sponge species, sediment and seawater in a coral reef ecosystem surrounding Tioman Island. Our results showed that biotope (sponge species, sediment and seawater) was a significant predictor of composition and abundance of bacterial communities. Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum in S. carteri, seawater, sediment and A. lobata, whilst bacterial communities of S. massa and X. testudinaria were dominated by Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi, respectively. The predicted metagenome revealed differentially enriched pathways in HMA and LMA sponges. Differentially enriched subcategories in HMA sponges included ‘Signaling Molecules and Interaction’, ‘Carbohydrate Metabolism’ and ‘Excretory System’. Subcategories enriched in LMA sponges included ‘Replication and Repair’, ‘Energy Metabolism’, ‘Metabolism of Cofactors and Vitamins’ and ‘Environmental Adaptation’. Overall, the predicted functional analysis suggests that, although HMA and LMA associated bacterial communities shared core functional features, they use different strategies to defend against pathogens, obtain energy or cope with stress
Compositional analysis of bacterial communities in seawater, sediment, and sponges in the Misool coral reef system, Indonesia
Sponge species have been deemed high microbial abundance (HMA) or low microbial abundance (LMA) based on the composition and abundance of their microbial symbionts. In the present study, we evaluated the richness and composition of bacterial communities associated with one HMA sponge (Xestospongia testudinaria; Demospongiae: Haplosclerida: Petrosiidae), one LMA sponge (Stylissa carteri; Demospongiae: Scopalinida - Scopalinidae), and one sponge with a hitherto unknown microbial community (Aaptos suberitoides; Demospongiae: Suberitida: Suberitidae) inhabiting the Misool coral reef system in the West Papua province of Indonesia. The bacterial communities of these sponge species were also compared with seawater and sediment bacterial communities from the same coastal coral reef habitat. Using a 16S rRNA gene barcoded pyrosequencing approach, we showed that the most abundant phylum overall was Proteobacteria. The biotope (sponge species, sediment or seawater) explained almost 84% of the variation in bacterial composition with highly significant differences in composition among biotopes and a clear separation between bacterial communities from seawater and S. carteri; X. testudinaria and A. suberitoides and sediment. The Chloroflexi classes SAR202 and Anaerolineae were most abundant in A. suberitoides and X. testudinaria and both of these species shared several OTUs that were largely absent in the remaining biotopes. This suggests that A. suberitoides is a HMA sponge. Although similar, the bacterial communities of S. carteri and seawater were compositionally distinct. These results confirm compositional differences between sponge and non-sponge biotopes and between HMA and LMA sponges.publishe
Habitat and water quality variables as predictors of community composition in an Indonesian coral reef: a multi-taxon study in the Spermonde Archipelago
Assemblages of corals, sponges, foraminifera, sediment bacteria and sediment archaea were assessed at two
depths in the Spermonde Archipelago. Our goal was to assess to what extent variation in composition could be
explained by habitat and water quality variables. The habitat variables consisted of depth, substrate type and
scleractinian coral coverwhile water quality variableswere derived from ocean color satellite imagery, including
the colored dissolved organic matter index (CDOM), chlorophyll-a (Chlor-a) and remote sensing reflectance at
645 nm (Rrs_645). Together, habitat and water quality variables explained from 31% (sediment bacteria) to
80% (forams) of the variation in composition. The variation in composition of corals, sponges, forams and sediment
archaea was primarily related to habitat variables, while the variation in composition of sediment bacteria
was primarily related towater quality variables.Habitat andwater quality variables explained similaramounts of
variation in the composition of corals and sediment bacteria. CDOM (sponges, sediment bacteria and sediment
archaea), Chlor-a (corals and forams) and Rrs_645 (sponges and forams) proved significant predictors of variation in composition for the studied taxa. In addition to water quality variables, all taxa responded to a range
of habitat variables including depth and the percentage cover of various benthic life forms including coral cover
variables, rubble and sand. Sand coverwas themost important habitat variable for corals, sponges, sediment bacteria
and sediment archaea. Coral life forms including the cover of branching and tabular corals were important
habitat variables for sponges and forams. These results show marked differences in how various taxa respond to
variation in habitat andwater quality in the Spermonde Archipelago.Moreover, our results indicate that variables
estimated from ocean color satellite imagery proved to be better predictors of variation in marine community
composition than commonly-used proxies such as the distance offshore or distance to the nearest river
Bacterial composition of sponges, sediment and seawater in enclosed and open marine lakes in Ha Long Bay Vietnam
Marine lakes are landlocked bodies of seawater, isolated to varying degrees from the
surrounding marine habitat. Isolated lakes generally have lower pH values, salinities and
higher temperatures than more open lakes. We used a 16S rRNA gene barcoded
pyrosequencing approach to study the bacterial communities of two sponge species,
sediment and seawater in one enclosed and two open marine lakes. Bacterial communities
of the sponge Spheciospongia solida mainly consisted of Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and
Bacteroidetes. In contrast, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi and Acidobacteria dominated the
bacterial communities of the sponge Spongia ceylonensis. Although only a limited amount of
samples were collected, both water and S. ceylonensis sponge had higher relative
abundances of Cyanobacteria in the enclosed lake, which mainly consisted of OTUs assigned
to the genus Synechococcus. This is in line with a number of previous studies, which have
shown that environmental conditions found within low pH environments such as marine
lakes benefit the growth of Synechococcus spp. Future studies should address the mechanism
by which Synechococcus spp. may help host sponges and their bacterial communities adapt
to low pH conditions in isolated marine lakes and other low-pH environments.publishe
Archaeal communities in sponge, sediment and water from marine lakes and open water habitats
Compositional analysis of archaeal communities in high and low microbial abundance sponges in the Misool coral reef system, Indonesia
The high/low microbial abundance (HMA/LMA) dichotomy in sponges has been the subject of
several studies over recent years, but few studies have analysed this dichotomy in terms of the
sponge archaeal community and function. Using a 16S rRNA gene barcoded pyrosequencing
approach and predictive functional analysis (PICRUSt) we compared the archaeal
composition, richness and predicted function of one HMA sponge (Xestospongia testudinaria),
one LMA sponge (Stylissa carteri) and one sponge species of unknown microbial abundance
(Aaptos lobata). Although most of the archaeal sequences were assigned to the
Crenarchaeota phylum, S. carteri had the highest percentage of sequences assigned to the
Euryarchaeota phylum. Variation among sponge species explained >85% of the variation in
archaeal operational taxonomic unit (OTU) composition with each sponge species forming a
distinct cluster. There were significant differences in predicted PICRUSt profiles among
sponge species, suggesting that archaeal communities present in the studied sponge species
may perform different functions. X. testudinaria and A. lobata were similar both in terms of
OTU and KEGG orthologues composition, which may indicate that A. lobata is a HMA
sponge. Additionally, some of the most enriched functions seem to be related to traits
associated with high and low microbial abundance sponges.publishe