Coral thermal stress and bleaching enrich and restructure reef microbial communities via altered organic matter exudation.

ABSTRACT: Coral bleaching is a well-documented and increasingly widespread phenomenon in reefs across the globe, yet there has been relatively little research on the implications for reef water column microbiology and biogeochemistry. A mesocosm heating experiment and bottle incubation compared how unbleached and bleached corals alter dissolved organic matter (DOM) exudation in response to thermal stress and subsequent effects on microbial growth and community structure in the water column. Thermal stress of healthy corals tripled DOM flux relative to ambient corals. DOM exudates from stressed corals (heated and/or previously bleached) were compositionally distinct from healthy corals and significantly increased growth of bacterioplankton, enriching copiotrophs and putative pathogens. Together these

SUBMITTER: Sparagon WJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10864316 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature