Worldwide exploration of the microbiome harbored by the cnidarian model, Exaiptasia pallida (Agassiz in Verrill, 1864) indicates a lack of bacterial association specificity at a lower taxonomic rank
Examination of host-microbe interactions in early diverging metazoans, such as cnidarians, is of great interest from an evolutionary perspective to understand how host-microbial consortia have evolved. To address this problem, we analyzed whether the bacterial community associated with the cosmopoli...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
PeerJ Inc.
2017-05-01
|
| Series: | PeerJ |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/3235.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827607680666042368 |
|---|---|
| author | Tanya Brown Christopher Otero Alejandro Grajales Estefania Rodriguez Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty |
| author_facet | Tanya Brown Christopher Otero Alejandro Grajales Estefania Rodriguez Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty |
| author_sort | Tanya Brown |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Examination of host-microbe interactions in early diverging metazoans, such as cnidarians, is of great interest from an evolutionary perspective to understand how host-microbial consortia have evolved. To address this problem, we analyzed whether the bacterial community associated with the cosmopolitan and model sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida shows specific patterns across worldwide populations ranging from the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. By comparing sequences of the V1–V3 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, we revealed that anemones host a complex and diverse microbial community. When examined at the phylum level, bacterial diversity and abundance associated with E. pallida are broadly conserved across geographic space with samples, containing largely Proteobacteria and Bacteroides. However, the species-level makeup within these phyla differs drastically across space suggesting a high-level core microbiome with local adaptation of the constituents. Indeed, no bacterial OTU was ubiquitously found in all anemones samples. We also revealed changes in the microbial community structure after rearing anemone specimens in captivity within a period of four months. Furthermore, the variation in bacterial community assemblages across geographical locations did not correlate with the composition of microalgal Symbiodinium symbionts. Our findings contrast with the postulation that cnidarian hosts might actively select and maintain species-specific microbial communities that could have resulted from an intimate co-evolution process. The fact that E. pallida is likely an introduced species in most sampled localities suggests that this microbial turnover is a relatively rapid process. Our findings suggest that environmental settings, not host specificity, seem to dictate bacterial community structure associated with this sea anemone. More than maintaining a specific composition of bacterial species some cnidarians associate with a wide range of bacterial species as long as they provide the same physiological benefits towards the maintenance of a healthy host. The examination of the previously uncharacterized bacterial community associated with the cnidarian sea anemone model E. pallida is the first global-scale study of its kind. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:58:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f63cd6e9e7b64587a3923e1b71c8883b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:58:39Z |
| publishDate | 2017-05-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-f63cd6e9e7b64587a3923e1b71c8883b2023-12-03T10:01:46ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592017-05-015e323510.7717/peerj.3235Worldwide exploration of the microbiome harbored by the cnidarian model, Exaiptasia pallida (Agassiz in Verrill, 1864) indicates a lack of bacterial association specificity at a lower taxonomic rankTanya Brown0Christopher Otero1Alejandro Grajales2Estefania Rodriguez3Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty4Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USABiological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USAInvertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USAInvertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USABiological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USAExamination of host-microbe interactions in early diverging metazoans, such as cnidarians, is of great interest from an evolutionary perspective to understand how host-microbial consortia have evolved. To address this problem, we analyzed whether the bacterial community associated with the cosmopolitan and model sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida shows specific patterns across worldwide populations ranging from the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. By comparing sequences of the V1–V3 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, we revealed that anemones host a complex and diverse microbial community. When examined at the phylum level, bacterial diversity and abundance associated with E. pallida are broadly conserved across geographic space with samples, containing largely Proteobacteria and Bacteroides. However, the species-level makeup within these phyla differs drastically across space suggesting a high-level core microbiome with local adaptation of the constituents. Indeed, no bacterial OTU was ubiquitously found in all anemones samples. We also revealed changes in the microbial community structure after rearing anemone specimens in captivity within a period of four months. Furthermore, the variation in bacterial community assemblages across geographical locations did not correlate with the composition of microalgal Symbiodinium symbionts. Our findings contrast with the postulation that cnidarian hosts might actively select and maintain species-specific microbial communities that could have resulted from an intimate co-evolution process. The fact that E. pallida is likely an introduced species in most sampled localities suggests that this microbial turnover is a relatively rapid process. Our findings suggest that environmental settings, not host specificity, seem to dictate bacterial community structure associated with this sea anemone. More than maintaining a specific composition of bacterial species some cnidarians associate with a wide range of bacterial species as long as they provide the same physiological benefits towards the maintenance of a healthy host. The examination of the previously uncharacterized bacterial community associated with the cnidarian sea anemone model E. pallida is the first global-scale study of its kind.https://peerj.com/articles/3235.pdfCnidariaHost-microbe interactionSea anemoneMicrobiomeCoralSymbiosis |
| spellingShingle | Tanya Brown Christopher Otero Alejandro Grajales Estefania Rodriguez Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty Worldwide exploration of the microbiome harbored by the cnidarian model, Exaiptasia pallida (Agassiz in Verrill, 1864) indicates a lack of bacterial association specificity at a lower taxonomic rank PeerJ Cnidaria Host-microbe interaction Sea anemone Microbiome Coral Symbiosis |
| title | Worldwide exploration of the microbiome harbored by the cnidarian model, Exaiptasia pallida (Agassiz in Verrill, 1864) indicates a lack of bacterial association specificity at a lower taxonomic rank |
| title_full | Worldwide exploration of the microbiome harbored by the cnidarian model, Exaiptasia pallida (Agassiz in Verrill, 1864) indicates a lack of bacterial association specificity at a lower taxonomic rank |
| title_fullStr | Worldwide exploration of the microbiome harbored by the cnidarian model, Exaiptasia pallida (Agassiz in Verrill, 1864) indicates a lack of bacterial association specificity at a lower taxonomic rank |
| title_full_unstemmed | Worldwide exploration of the microbiome harbored by the cnidarian model, Exaiptasia pallida (Agassiz in Verrill, 1864) indicates a lack of bacterial association specificity at a lower taxonomic rank |
| title_short | Worldwide exploration of the microbiome harbored by the cnidarian model, Exaiptasia pallida (Agassiz in Verrill, 1864) indicates a lack of bacterial association specificity at a lower taxonomic rank |
| title_sort | worldwide exploration of the microbiome harbored by the cnidarian model exaiptasia pallida agassiz in verrill 1864 indicates a lack of bacterial association specificity at a lower taxonomic rank |
| topic | Cnidaria Host-microbe interaction Sea anemone Microbiome Coral Symbiosis |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/3235.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tanyabrown worldwideexplorationofthemicrobiomeharboredbythecnidarianmodelexaiptasiapallidaagassizinverrill1864indicatesalackofbacterialassociationspecificityatalowertaxonomicrank AT christopherotero worldwideexplorationofthemicrobiomeharboredbythecnidarianmodelexaiptasiapallidaagassizinverrill1864indicatesalackofbacterialassociationspecificityatalowertaxonomicrank AT alejandrograjales worldwideexplorationofthemicrobiomeharboredbythecnidarianmodelexaiptasiapallidaagassizinverrill1864indicatesalackofbacterialassociationspecificityatalowertaxonomicrank AT estefaniarodriguez worldwideexplorationofthemicrobiomeharboredbythecnidarianmodelexaiptasiapallidaagassizinverrill1864indicatesalackofbacterialassociationspecificityatalowertaxonomicrank AT mauriciorodriguezlanetty worldwideexplorationofthemicrobiomeharboredbythecnidarianmodelexaiptasiapallidaagassizinverrill1864indicatesalackofbacterialassociationspecificityatalowertaxonomicrank |