Partitioning of bacterial communities between seawater and healthy, black band diseased, and dead coral surfaces.

ABSTRACT: Distinct partitioning has been observed in the composition and diversity of bacterial communities inhabiting the surface and overlying seawater of three coral species infected with black band disease (BBD) on the southern Caribbean island of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. PCR amplification and sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes (rDNA) with universally conserved primers have identified over 524 unique bacterial sequences affiliated with 12 bacterial divisions. The molecular sequences exhibited less than 5% similarity in bacterial community composition between seawater and the healthy, black band diseased, and dead coral surfaces. The BBD bacterial mat rapidly migrates across and kills the coral tissue. Clone libraries constructed from the BBD mat were comprised of eight bacterial divisi

SUBMITTER: Frias-Lopez J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC127591 | biostudies-literature | 2002 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature