The microbial biosphere of the coral Acropora cervicornis in Northeastern Puerto Rico.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Coral reefs are the most biodiverse ecosystems in the marine realm, and they not only contribute a plethora of ecosystem services to other marine organisms, but they also are beneficial to humankind via, for instance, their role as nurseries for commercially important fish species. Corals are considered holobionts (host + symbionts) since they are composed not only of coral polyps, but also algae, other microbial eukaryotes and prokaryotes. In recent years, Caribbean reef corals, including the once-common scleractinian coral Acropora cervicornis, have suffered unprecedented mortality due to climate change-related stressors. Unfortunately, our basic knowledge of the molecular ecophysiology of reef corals, particularly with respect to their complex bacterial microbi

SUBMITTER: Godoy-Vitorino F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5580386 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature