Tissue-Specific Microbiomes of the Red Sea Giant Clam Tridacna maxima Highlight Differential Abundance of Endozoicomonadaceae.

ABSTRACT: Giant clams (subfamily Tridacninae) are prevalent members of coral reef communities and engage in symbioses with algal photosymbionts of the family Symbiodiniaceae, similar to their scleractinian coral counterparts. However, we know little about their associated bacterial microbiome members. Here, we explored bacterial community diversity of digestive system, gill, and mantle tissues associated with the giant clam Tridacna maxima across a cross-shelf gradient (inshore, midshore, and offshore reef sites) in the central Red Sea using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Different tissues harbor spatially stable and distinct microbial communities. Notably, diverse assemblages of bacteria affiliated to the family Endozoicomonadaceae were prevalent in all tissues, but particularly abundant

SUBMITTER: Rossbach S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6901920 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature