Fish predation on corals promotes the dispersal of coral symbionts.
| Title: | Fish predation on corals promotes the dispersal of coral symbionts. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Grupstra CGB; BioSciences at Rice, Rice University, 6100 Main St, MS-140, Houston, TX, 77005, USA. Cgg4@rice.edu.; Rabbitt KM; BioSciences at Rice, Rice University, 6100 Main St, MS-140, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.; Howe-Kerr LI; BioSciences at Rice, Rice University, 6100 Main St, MS-140, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.; Correa AMS; BioSciences at Rice, Rice University, 6100 Main St, MS-140, Houston, TX, 77005, USA. |
| Source: | Animal microbiome [Anim Microbiome] 2021 Mar 22; Vol. 3 (1), pp. 25. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Mar 22. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101759457 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2524-4671 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 25244671 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Anim Microbiome Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: [London] : BioMed Central, [2019]- |
| Abstract: | Background: The microbiomes of foundation (habitat-forming) species such as corals and sponges underpin the biodiversity, productivity, and stability of ecosystems. Consumers shape communities of foundation species through trophic interactions, but the role of consumers in dispersing the microbiomes of such species is rarely examined. For example, stony corals rely on a nutritional symbiosis with single-celled endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (family Symbiodiniaceae) to construct reefs. Most corals acquire Symbiodiniaceae from the environment, but the processes that make Symbiodiniaceae available for uptake are not resolved. Here, we provide the first comprehensive, reef-scale demonstration that predation by diverse coral-eating (corallivorous) fish species promotes the dispersal of Symbiodiniaceae, based on symbiont cell densities and community compositions from the feces of four obligate corallivores, three facultative corallivores, two grazer/detritivores as well as samples of reef sediment and water.; Results: Obligate corallivore feces are environmental hotspots of Symbiodiniaceae cells: live symbiont cell concentrations in such feces are 5-7 orders of magnitude higher than sediment and water environmental reservoirs. Symbiodiniaceae community compositions in the feces of obligate corallivores are similar to those in two locally abundant coral genera (Pocillopora and Porites), but differ from Symbiodiniaceae communities in the feces of facultative corallivores and grazer/detritivores as well as sediment and water. Combining our data on live Symbiodiniaceae cell densities in feces with in situ observations of fish, we estimate that some obligate corallivorous fish species release over 100 million Symbiodiniaceae cells per 100 m2 of reef per day. Released corallivore feces came in direct contact with coral colonies in the fore reef zone following 91% of observed egestion events, providing a potential mechanism for the transfer of live Symbiodiniaceae cells among coral colonies.; Conclusions: Taken together, our findings show that fish predation on corals may support the maintenance of coral cover on reefs in an unexpected way: through the dispersal of beneficial coral symbionts in corallivore feces. Few studies examine the processes that make symbionts available to foundation species, or how environmental reservoirs of such symbionts are replenished. This work sets the stage for parallel studies of consumer-mediated microbiome dispersal and assembly in other sessile, habitat-forming species. |
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| Grant Information: | 1635798 National Science Foundation; 2000009651 Gulf Research Program (NAS Gulf Research Program) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Butterflyfish; Coral reefs; Corallivore; Dispersal; Feces; Filefish; Microbiome; Parrotfish; Predation; Sediment; Surgeonfish; Symbiodiniaceae; Water column |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20210323 Latest Revision: 20210401 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC7986512 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s42523-021-00086-4 |
| PMID: | 33752761 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article