Viruses
inhabiting the surface mucus layer of scleractinian corals have received little
ecological attention so far. Yet they have recently been shown to be highly
abundant and could even play a pivotal role in coral health.
A
fundamental aspect that remains unresolved is whether their abundance and
diversity change with the trophic state of their environment.
The
present study examined the variability in the abundance of viral and bacterial
epibionts on 13 coral species collected from 2 different sites in the Ha Long
Bay, Vietnam: one station heavily affected by anthropogenic activity (Cat Ba
Island) and one protected offshore station (Long Chau Island).
In
general, viral abundance was significantly higher in coral mucus (mean = 10.6 ±
2.0 × 107 viruslike particles ml-1) than in the surrounding water (5.2 ± 1.3 ×
107 virus-like particles ml-1). Concomitantly, the abundance and community
diversity (inferred from phylogenetic and morphological analyses) of their
mucosal bacterial hosts strongly differed from their planktonic counterparts.
Surprisingly,
despite large differences in water quality and nutrient concentrations between
Cat Ba and Long Chau, there were no significant differences in the
concentrations of epibiotic viruses and bacteria measured in the only 2 coral
species (i.e. Pavona decussata and Lobophyllia flabelliformis) that were common
at both sites. The ability of corals to shed bacteria to compensate for their
fast growth in nutrient-rich mucus is questioned here.
Description:
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Aquatic Microbial Ecology, Volume 76, Issue 2,
2015, Pages 149-161
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URI:
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ISSN:
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09483055
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Appears in Collections:
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