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Microbiome changes in Sinularia spp. soft corals relative to health status

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Abstract

Coral reefs are globally important ecosystems with high species diversity at both the macro and micro scales. In recent years, coral reefs have been heavily impacted by anthropogenic and natural stressors, including emerging diseases. Many of these diseases have been identified in reef-building corals, but other invertebrate taxa, such as soft corals, are increasingly at risk. This study focuses on a hybrid species complex within soft corals of the genus Sinularia, which dominate the shallow reefs of Guam, and the broader Indo-Pacific. These soft corals exhibit varying levels of disease susceptibility to Sinularia tissue loss disease (STLD), a chronic wasting disease. In the current study, we used next-generation amplicon sequencing of prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities within these soft corals to characterize their microbiomes, and develop a better understanding of the etiology of STLD. There were differences in specific ASVs across the microbiomes of healthy colonies of Sinularia maxima, Sinularia polydactyla and their hybrid (S. maxima x S. polydactyla). There was also a decline in the relative abundance of putatively beneficial symbionts (Symbiodinaceae and Endozoicomonas) in STLD-affected soft corals, but no consistent shifts towards a specific microbial community associated with STLD. The soft coral microbiomes also contained a high relative abundance of ASVs typically associated with terrestrial runoff. Our results suggest that the STLD phenotype may be due to a combination of factors, including infection by a yet unknown etiologic agent, shifts in putatively beneficial symbionts, and anthropogenic impacts on this shallow nearshore reef.

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Data and/or code availability

Raw sequence data are published in the sequence read archive at NCBI under the BioProject PRJNA544301; metadata and processed data are provided in supplementary files. No new codes were developed for this project.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J Pruett who provided valuable comments that enhanced the quality of this manuscript. We also thank P Houk, A Kerr, L Raymundo, and B Tibbetts for field assistance and logistical support, as well as numerous personnel at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory. We also thank Jose V. Lopez for use of his laboratory space and equipment.

Funding

Provided by the University of Mississippi Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to DJG, and the National Institute of Undersea Science and Technology to MS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN, USA

    Cole G. Easson

  2. Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, USA

    Deborah J. Gochfeld & Marc Slattery

  3. National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, USA

    Deborah J. Gochfeld & Marc Slattery

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  1. Cole G. Easson
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MS and DJG designed the study; MS and DJG collected the field samples; CE conducted the laboratory analyses; MS, DJG, and CE conducted the statistical analyses, wrote the manuscript, and contributed to revisions.

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Correspondence to Cole G. Easson.

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This research was conducted in accordance with the University of Mississippi Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) standards. The Guam Department of Agriculture provided permits for the collection of soft coral samples, and to perform research in the Piti Bomb Holes Marine Protected Area.

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Easson, C.G., Gochfeld, D.J. & Slattery, M. Microbiome changes in Sinularia spp. soft corals relative to health status. Mar Biol 171, 53 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-023-04362-6

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