Phosphate enrichment induces increased dominance of the parasite Aquarickettsia in the coral Acropora cervicornis.

ABSTRACT: Nutrient pollution is linked to coral disease susceptibility and severity, but the mechanism behind this effect remains underexplored. A recently identified bacterial species, 'Ca. Aquarickettsia rohweri,' is hypothesized to parasitize the Caribbean staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, leading to reduced coral growth and increased disease susceptibility. Aquarickettsia rohweri is hypothesized to assimilate host metabolites and ATP and was previously demonstrated to be highly nutrient-responsive. As nutrient enrichment is a pervasive issue in the Caribbean, this study examined the effects of common nutrient pollutants (nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate) on a disease-susceptible genotype of A. cervicornis. Microbial diversity was found to decline over the course of the experiment in phosphat

SUBMITTER: Klinges JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8902694 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature