Differential Response of the Microbiome of Pocillopora acuta to Reciprocal Transplantation Within Singapore

Abstract

As corals continue to decline globally, particularly due to climate change, it is vital to understand the extent to which their microbiome may confer an adaptive resilience against environmental stress. Corals that survive on the urban reefs of Singapore are ideal candidates to study the association of scleractinians with their microbiome, which in turn can inform reef conservation and management. In this study, we monitored differences in the microbiome of Pocillopora acuta colonies reciprocally transplanted between two reefs, Raffles and Kusu, within the Port of Singapore, where corals face intense anthropogenic impacts. Pocillopora acuta had previously been shown to host distinct microbial communities between these two reefs. Amplicon sequencing (16S rRNA) was used to assess the coral microbiomes at 1, 2, 4, and 10 days post-transplantation. Coral microbiomes responded rapidly to transplantation, becoming similar to those of the local corals at the destination reef within one day at Raffles and within two days at Kusu. Elevated nitrate concentrations were detected at Raffles for the duration of the study, potentially influencing the microbiome’s response to transplantation. The persistence of corals within the port of Singapore highlights the ability of corals to adapt to stressful environments. Further, coral resilience appears to coincide with a dynamic microbiome which can undergo shifts in composition without succumbing to dysbiosis.

Rapid Shifts in Bacterial Communities and Homogeneity of Symbiodiniaceae in Colonies of Pocillopora acuta Transplanted Between Reef and Mangrove Environments

“…Similar to the Symbiodiniaceae communities, coral-associated bacterial communities differed between P. acuta colonies inhabiting mangrove and reef environments. Such difference among sites is consistent with previous studies that have identified highly divergent bacterial communities in P. acuta over small spatial scales ( Wainwright et al, 2019 ; Deignan and McDougald, 2021 ). However, despite the dynamic nature of P. acuta microbiomes over small geographical scales, P. acuta microbiomes appear to remain relatively stable under thermal stress ( Epstein et al, 2019 ).…”

Monsoon-driven biogeochemical dynamics in an equatorial shelf sea: time-series observations in the Singapore Strait

“…Few studies have reported dissolved inorganic nutrient concentrations from the Singapore Strait, and existing time series are relatively short and have lower measurement frequency. Our values are broadly consistent with previous studies (Browne et al, 2015;Chénard et al, 2019;Deignan and McDougald, 2021;Gin et al, 2000), which also noted that nutrient concentrations are typically elevated during the SW monsoon. Our data clearly show that the Singapore Strait undergoes strong and consistent seasonal variation (Fig.…”

Coral persistence despite marginal conditions in the Port of Miami

“…Similar associations with stress-tolerant symbionts have been observed in urbanized habitats in Singapore 60 , 61 , as well as in environmentally-variable lagoon environments 62 . Prokaryotic communities also tend to reflect the environment in which the coral resides, where corals in marginal habitats can host divergent mucus-associated bacteria 63 . While some host-symbiont associations in urbanized environments may ultimately be beneficial to the coral host, shifts in prokaryotic communities due to urbanization (i.e.…”