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Temporal Changes of the Epiphytic Bacteria Community From the Marine Macroalga Ulva lactuca (Santa Marta, Colombian-Caribbean)

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Abstract

Microbial communities live on macroalgal surfaces. The identity and abundance of the bacteria making these epiphytic communities depend on the macroalgal host and the environmental conditions. Macroalgae rely on epiphytic bacteria for basic functions (spore settlement, morphogenesis, growth, and protection against pathogens). However, these marine bacterial-macroalgal associations are still poorly understood for macroalgae inhabiting the Colombian Caribbean. This study aimed at characterizing the epiphytic bacterial community from macroalgae of the species Ulva lactuca growing in La Punta de la Loma (Santa Marta, Colombia). We conducted a 16S rRNA gene sequencing-based study of these microbial communities sampled twice a year between 2014 and 2016. Within these communities, the Proteobacteria, Bacterioidetes, Cyanobacteria, Deinococcus-Thermus and Actinobacteria were the most abundant phyla. At low taxonomic levels, we found high variability among epiphytic bacteria from U. lactuca and bacterial communities associated with macroalgae from Germany and Australia. We observed differences in the bacterial community composition across years driven by abundance shifts of Rhodobacteraceae Hyphomonadaceae, and Flavobacteriaceae, probably caused by an increase of seawater temperature. Our results support the need for functional studies of the microbiota associated with U. lactuca, a common macroalga in the Colombian Caribbean Sea.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The research was funded by the Corporation Center of Excellence in Marine Sciences (CEMarin) (Call No. 8, 2016). ANLA (Agencia Nacional de Licencias Ambientales) and Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible granted permission to collect samples and perform this research (Resolution No. 0255 of 14/03/2014). The authors thank the Instituto de Biotecnología de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the Direction of Investigation and Extension of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and the PhD Scholarship Program of Minciencias.

Funding

The research was funded by the Corporation Center of Excellence in Marine Sciences (CEMarin) (Call No. 8, 2016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CEMarin Early Stage Researcher, Bogotá, Colombia

    Natalia Beatriz Comba González

  2. Bioprocesses and Bioprospecting Group, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia

    Albert Nicolás Niño Corredor

  3. Department of Statistics, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia

    Liliana López Kleine

  4. Bioprocesses and Bioprospecting Group, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 14490, Bogotá, AA, Colombia

    Dolly Montoya Castaño

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  1. Natalia Beatriz Comba González
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  2. Albert Nicolás Niño Corredor
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  3. Liliana López Kleine
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Contributions

Natalia Comba, Liliana López and Dolly Montoya conceived and designed research. Natalia Comba and Nicolás Niño conducted experiments. Natalia Comba, Liliana López and Dolly Montoya analyzed data. Natalia Comba wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dolly Montoya Castaño.

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All necessary permits for sampling and observational field studies have been obtained by the authors from the competent authorities and are mentioned in the acknowledgements.

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Comba González, N.B., Niño Corredor, A.N., López Kleine, L. et al. Temporal Changes of the Epiphytic Bacteria Community From the Marine Macroalga Ulva lactuca (Santa Marta, Colombian-Caribbean). Curr Microbiol 78, 534–543 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-020-02302-x

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