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Mucus composition and bacterial communities associated with the tissue and skeleton of three scleractinian corals maintained under culture conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2010

Pascale Tremblay ,
Markus G. Weinbauer ,
Cécile Rottier ,
Yann Guérardel ,
Christian Nozais  and
Christine Ferrier-Pagès
Pascale Tremblay*
Affiliation:
Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Avenue St-Martin, MC-98000Monaco Departement de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC Canada G5L 3A1
Markus G. Weinbauer
Affiliation:
CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Cécile Rottier
Affiliation:
Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Avenue St-Martin, MC-98000Monaco
Yann Guérardel
Affiliation:
Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, CNRS, Institut Fédératif de Recherche 147, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France
Christian Nozais
Affiliation:
Departement de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC Canada G5L 3A1
Christine Ferrier-Pagès
Affiliation:
Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Avenue St-Martin, MC-98000Monaco
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: P. Tremblay, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Avenue St-Martin, MC-98000Monaco email: ptremblay@centrescientifique.mc
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Abstract

Corals live in close association with bacterial communities, but the nature of the relationship is still poorly understood. In this study, three scleractinian coral species, Galaxea fascicularis, Pavona cactus and Turbinaria reniformis were incubated under different laboratory conditions, and the composition of the bacterial community associated with their tissue or skeleton was compared between species or between species and seawater using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The amount of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) excreted and the mucus glycoconjugate composition were also determined for each species. The aim of the study was to assess if the bacterial community composition was species-specific or linked either to the seawater composition, or to the quality and quantity of carbon released by each coral. Results obtained showed that DOC release was significantly different (P < 0.0001) for the three species, with the highest excretion rate for G. fascicularis. Also, the mucus of G. fascicularis and P. cactus mainly contained galactose and glucose whereas the mucus of T. reniformis contained more glucose and xylose. Cluster analyses of microbial community composition showed that the bacterial community was species-specific in the coral tissue but not in the skeleton, in all conditions. It remained specific when corals were incubated in the same or in different aquaria, and under different seawater renewal rates. Since DOC release rates and bacterial composition were both different according to the coral species considered, a link might be suggested between the two parameters. Sequencing of DGGE bands indicated that some bacterial phylotypes were consistently retrieved in all samples of a given species.

Keywords

coralsbacterial community compositionmucus16S rDNA
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 91 , Issue 3 , May 2011 , pp. 649 - 657
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

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