Bacterial Dynamics in Newly Settled Acropora kenti: Insights From Inoculations With Individual Probiotic Candidates.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial probiotics hold promise for enhancing coral health and stress resilience; however, their application to coral juveniles, which are critical for restorative aquaculture, remains underexplored. Here, we show that the microbiome of newly settled Acropora kenti is amenable to manipulation, with individual probiotic candidates inducing distinct microbiome responses that differed in their stability after the final inoculation. Three of the eight tested strains, Halomonas smyrnensis, Endozoicomonas acroporae and Roseivivax lentus, remained prevalent in the microbiome at least 5 days post-inoculation. Notably, aggregates of Endozoicomonas cells were observed exclusively in the corresponding treatment, marking the first report of coral-associated microbial aggregates (CAMAs) in early life

SUBMITTER: Thatcher C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12267947 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature