Effects of sponge ‐to‐sponge contact on the microbiomes of three spatially competing Caribbean coral reef species

In this study, we characterized the microbiomes of three common Caribbean sponges (Agelas tubulata,Iotrochota birotulata, andXestospongia muta) observed to naturally interact spatially in Key Largo, Florida (USA). For each species, replicate samples were collected from sponges in contact with neighbors at the site of contact (contact) and distant from the site of contact (no contact), and from sponges spatially isolated from neighbors (control). Next-generation amplicon sequencing (V4 region of 16S rRNA) revealed significant differences in microbial community structure and diversity among sponge species, but no significant effects were observed within sponge species across all contact states and competitor pairings, indicating no large community shifts in response to direct contact. At a finer scale, particular symbiont taxa (operational taxonomic units at 97% sequence identity, OTUs) were shown to decrease significantly in some interaction pairings, suggesting localized effects for specific sponge competitors. Overall, these results revealed that direct contact during spatial competition does not significantly alter microbial community composition or structure of interacting sponges, suggesting that allelopathic interactions and competitive outcomes are not mediated by microbiome damage or destabilization.

Source: MicrobiologyOpen - April 28, 2023 Category: Microbiology Authors: Shelby E. Gantt, Patrick M. Erwin Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research