Gut microbiome plasticity and host resistance in response to ocean warming in sub-Antarctic sea urchins.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sub-Antarctic marine ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change, with rising ocean temperatures threatening key benthic species. Abatus cordatus, an endemic sea urchin of the Kerguelen Islands with limited dispersal capacity, has been hypothesised to possess a narrow thermal niche, which would render it particularly susceptible to environmental shifts. However, microbiome-mediated acclimation may provide a potential mechanism of resilience to ocean warming. To test these hypotheses, this study evaluates host survival and gut microbiome responses of A. cordatus to medium-term seawater warming under near-future temperature scenarios using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to compare these changes with those observed in sediment microbiomes.

Results

Host mortality rem

SUBMITTER: Schwob G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12625603 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature