Bacterial profiling of White Plague Disease across corals and oceans indicates a conserved and distinct disease microbiome.

ABSTRACT: Coral diseases are characterized by microbial community shifts in coral mucus and tissue, but causes and consequences of these changes are vaguely understood due to the complexity and dynamics of coral-associated bacteria. We used 16S rRNA gene microarrays to assay differences in bacterial assemblages of healthy and diseased colonies displaying White Plague Disease (WPD) signs from two closely related Caribbean coral species, Orbicella faveolata and Orbicella franksi. Analysis of differentially abundant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) revealed strong differences between healthy and diseased specimens, but not between coral species. A subsequent comparison to data from two Indo-Pacific coral species (Pavona duerdeni and Porites lutea) revealed distinct microbial community patterns associ

SUBMITTER: Roder C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4285310 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature