Journal
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
Volume 7, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00559
Keywords
Asparagopsis sp.; bacterial communities; metagenomes; adaptation; coastal vs. off-shore areas; polluted vs. pristine environments; eco-physiological functioning bacteria
Categories
Funding
- Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) through Net-Biome [NETBIOME/0001/2011, EXCL/AAG-GLO/0661/2012, SFRH/BPD/63703/2009, SFRH/BPD/107878/2015]
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [NETBIOME/0001/2011, EXCL/AAG-GLO/0661/2012, SFRH/BPD/63703/2009] Funding Source: FCT
Ask authors/readers for more resources
As habitats change due to global and local pressures, population resilience, and adaptive processes depend not only on their gene pools but also on their associated bacteria communities. The hologenome can play a determinant role in adaptive evolution of higher organisms that rely on their bacterial associates for vital processes. In this study, we focus on the associated bacteria of the two most invasive seaweeds in southwest Iberia (coastal mainland) and nearby offshore Atlantic islands, Asparagopsis taxiformis and Asparagopsis armata. Bacterial communities were characterized using 16S rRNA barcoding through 454 next generation sequencing and exploratory shotgun metagenomics to provide functional insights and a backbone for future functional studies. The bacterial community composition was clearly different between the two species A. taxiformis and A. armata and between continental and island habitats. The latter was mainly due to higher abundances of Acidimicrobiales, Sphingomonadales, Xanthomonadales, Myxococcales, and Alteromonadales on the continent. Metabolic assignments for these groups contained a higher number of reads in functions related to oxidative stress and resistance to toxic compounds, more precisely heavy metals. These results are in agreement with their usual association with hydrocarbon degradation and heavy-metals detoxification. In contrast, A. taxiformis from islands contained more bacteria related to oligotrophic environments which might putatively play a role in mineralization of dissolved organic matter. The higher number of functional assignments found in the metagenomes of A. taxiformis collected from Cape Verde Islands suggest a higher contribution of bacteria to compensate nutrient limitation in oligotrophic environments. Our results show that Asparagopsis-associated bacterial communities have host-specificity and are modulated by environmental conditions. Whether this environmental effect reflects the host's selective requirements or the locally available bacteria remains to be addressed. However, the known functional capacities of these bacterial communities indicate their potential for eco-physiological functions that could be valuable for the host fitness.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available