Linking photoacclimation responses and microbiome shifts between depth-segregated sibling species of reef corals.

ABSTRACT: Metazoans host complex communities of microorganisms that include dinoflagellates, fungi, bacteria, archaea and viruses. Interactions among members of these complex assemblages allow hosts to adjust their physiology and metabolism to cope with environmental variation and occupy different habitats. Here, using reciprocal transplantation across depths, we studied adaptive divergence in the corals Orbicella annularis and O. franksi, two young species with contrasting vertical distribution in the Caribbean. When transplanted from deep to shallow, O. franksi experienced fast photoacclimation and low mortality, and maintained a consistent bacterial community. By contrast, O. annularis experienced high mortality and limited photoacclimation when transplanted from shall

SUBMITTER: Prada C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8889182 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature