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UV-absorbing bacteria in coral mucus and their response to simulated temperature elevations

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Abstract

Reef-building corals encompass various strategies to defend against harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Coral mucus contains UV-absorbing compounds and has rich prokaryotic diversity associated with it. In this study, we isolated and characterized the UV-absorbing bacteria from the mucus of the corals Porites lutea and Acropora hyacinthus during the pre-summer and summer seasons. A total of 17 UV-absorbing bacteria were isolated and sequenced. The UV-absorbing bacteria showed UV absorption at wavelengths ranging from λ max = 333 nm to λ min = 208 nm. Analysis of the DNA sequences revealed that the majority of the UV-absorbing bacteria belonged to the family Firmicutes and the remaining belonged to the family Proteobacteria (class Gammaproteobacteria). Comparison of the sequences with the curated database yielded four distinct bacterial groups belonging to the genus Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Salinicoccus and Vibrio. The absorption peaks for the UV-absorbing bacteria shifted to the UV-A range (320–400 nm) when they were incubated at higher temperatures. Deciphering the complex relationship between corals and their associated bacteria will help us to understand their adaptive strategies to various stresses.

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Acknowledgments

The first author acknowledges the financial support necessary for carrying out this work from Science & Engineering Research Council, Department of Science and Technology (SERC-DST), Government of India . Third author acknowledges the DST, Government of India, for awarding INSPIRE fellowship. CSIR-NIO contribution No. 5403.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR), Regional Center, Dr. Salim Ali Road, Post Box No. 1913, Kochi, 682018, Kerala, India

    J. Ravindran, B. Manikandan, K. Francis & Jiya Jose

  2. DDE, Department of Zoology, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, 630003, Tamilnadu, India

    E. Kannapiran

  3. School of Biotechnology, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India

    Shruti Arora

  4. Department of Marine and Coastal Studies, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, 625021, Tamilnadu, India

    E. Karunya & Amit Kumar

  5. National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, 403004, Goa, India

    S. K. Singh

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  1. J. Ravindran
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  4. K. Francis
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  6. E. Karunya
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  8. S. K. Singh
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  9. Jiya Jose
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Correspondence to J. Ravindran.

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Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Ruth Gates

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Ravindran, J., Kannapiran, E., Manikandan, B. et al. UV-absorbing bacteria in coral mucus and their response to simulated temperature elevations. Coral Reefs 32, 1043–1050 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-013-1053-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-013-1053-x

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