On <i>Caretta caretta</i>’s shell: first spatial analysis of micro- and macro-epibionts on the Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtle carapace

Blasi, Monica Francesca; Rotini, Alice; Bacci, Tiziano; Targusi, Monica; Ferraro, Giusy Bonanno; Vecchioni, Luca; Alduina, Rosa

doi:10.1080/17451000.2021.2016840

Cited by 13 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Other common genera we found include Pleurocapsa, Limnothrix, Geitlerinema, Chroococcidiopsis , and Phormidesmis . Blasi et al (2022) also highlighted the presence of Cyanobacteria on anterior scutes, specifically families Pseudanabenaceae and Rivulariaceae while Phormidesmiaceae, Paraspirulinaceae and Xenococcaceae were prevalent in our dataset. All reported cyanobacterial genera in our study are commonly found in marine benthic habitats forming colonies and cyanobacterial mats (Komárek et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…Furthermore, Blasi et al, (2022) reported significant differences between microbial communities of differently positioned carapace scutes. The difference in bacterial community composition of anterior and posterior scutes of the sea turtle carapace might have been caused by different abiotic (hydrodynamics or sun exposure) and biotic factors (uneven distribution of macroorganisms across the carapace) affecting those areas (Blasi et al, 2022). The epi-microbiota of three juvenile loggerheads from the Tyrhhenian Sea harboured Firmicutes and Proteobacteria as the most prevalent phyla (Blasi et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The difference in bacterial community composition of anterior and posterior scutes of the sea turtle carapace might have been caused by different abiotic (hydrodynamics or sun exposure) and biotic factors (uneven distribution of macroorganisms across the carapace) affecting those areas (Blasi et al, 2022). The epi-microbiota of three juvenile loggerheads from the Tyrhhenian Sea harboured Firmicutes and Proteobacteria as the most prevalent phyla (Blasi et al, 2022). Contrastingly, in our dataset Proteobacteria were found to be the most abundant while Firmicutes were not among the highly abundant phyla.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, evidence of antibiotic resistant bacteria found on sea turtles highlight the direct effect of antibiotic pollution in the seas (Pace et al, 2019; Alduina et al, 2020; Trotta et al, 2021). However, reports on prokaryotic and micro-eukaryotic non-diatom communities associated with the skin and carapace of sea turtles are extremely scarce and include a recent study by Blasi et al (2022) that reported the composition of bacterial community based on 16S profiling from the carapaces of three juvenile loggerheads from the Tyrrhenian Sea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Surface microbiota of Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles unravelled by 16S and 18S amplicon sequencing

Kanjer

Filek

Mucko

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Loggerhead sea turtle is considered a keystone species with major ecological role in Mediterranean marine environment. As with other wild reptiles, their outer microbiome is rarely studied. Although there are several studies on sea turtle's macro-epibionts and endo-microbiota, there has been little research on epibiotic microbiota associated with sea turtles' skin and carapace. Therefore, we provide the first identification of combined epibiotic eukaryotic and prokaryotic microbiota on Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles. In this study, we sampled skin and carapace of 26 loggerheads from the Mediterranean Sea during 2018 and 2019. To investigate the overall microbial diversity and composition, amplicon sequencing of 16S and 18S rRNA genes was performed. We found that the Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtle epibiotic microbiota is a reservoir of a vast variety of microbial species. Microbial communities between samples mostly varied by different locations and seas, while within prokaryotic communities' significant difference was observed between sampled body sites (carapace vs. skin). In terms of relative abundance, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota were the most represented phyla within prokaryotes, while Alveolata and Stramenopiles thrived among eukaryotes. This study, besides providing a first survey of microbial eukaryotes on loggerheads via metabarcoding, identifies fine differences within both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities that seem to reflect the host anatomy and habitat. Multi-domain epi-microbiome surveys provide additional layers of information that are complementary with previous morphological studies and enable better understanding of the biology and ecology of these vulnerable marine reptiles.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Surface microbiota of Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles unravelled by 16S and 18S amplicon sequencing

Kanjer

Filek

Mucko

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The loggerhead sea turtle carapace is a hard bone shell covered by a living epidermis with a thick outer layer of keratin scutes that are shed periodically. The macro- (position on the carapace) and microanatomy (carapace scutes’ morphology) could affect both diatom colonization, localization, and their associated bacteria composition through light and nutrient availability, probability of mechanical removal via sea currents or turtle behaviour, and colonization by other turtle epibionts (Blasi et al . 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

More than just hitchhikers: a survey of bacterial communities associated with diatoms originating from marine reptiles

Filek

Lebbe

Willems

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Diatoms and bacteria are known for being the first colonizers of submerged surfaces including the skin of marine reptiles. Sea turtle carapace and skin harbour diverse prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial taxa, including several epizoic diatoms. However, the importance of diatom-bacteria associations is hardly investigated in biofilms associated with animal hosts. This study provides a detailed inventory of diatoms, bacteria, and diatom-associated bacteria originating from several loggerhead sea turtles using a combination of metabarcoding and culturing approaches. Carapace and skin samples rbcL and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing showed a high diversity of diatoms and bacteria, respectively. Cultures of putative epizoic and non-epizoic diatom strains contained from 18 to 101 bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and their bacterial assemblages strongly reflected those of their source host. Diatom strains allowed for enrichment and isolation of rare-in-source bacterial families such as Marinobacteraceae, Alteromonadaceae, and Alcanivoracaceae. When accounting for phylogenetic relationships between bacterial ASVs, we observed related diatom genera might retain related microbial taxa in culture, regardless of the source environment. These data provide deeper insights into several levels of sea turtle epizoic diatom and bacterial communities, and reveal the potential of epizoic biofilms as a source of novel microbes and possibly important diatom-bacteria associations.

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Correlation Between Microbial Community and Hatching Failure in Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta

et al. 2023

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Microbial communities provide essential information about host ecology and could be helpful as a tool to improve species conservation efforts. However, microbes can also infect and compromise the host development process and viability. Caretta caretta is the most widespread marine turtle species in the Mediterranean basin and is the only species of sea turtle nesting along the Italian coasts. Little is known about the microbiota composition of the nest of sea turtles and its correlation with hatching failures. In this study, the microbial composition of two nests of C. caretta featuring different rates of hatching success from a nesting beach in Lampedusa (Italy) was analyzed and compared. The bacterial community was determined using culture-dependent methods and next-generation sequencing based on 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding analysis. Our results showed five dominant bacterial phyla (Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Firmicutes) and indicated different bacterial families (Pseudomonadaceae and Brucellaceae) as likely causes of hatching failures. Besides, our findings demonstrated the nests’ active role in modulating the sand’s bacterial communities. This study suggests microbiological analysis could be a valuable tool in monitoring nests to take preventive actions and reduce hatching failures.

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On Caretta caretta’s shell: first spatial analysis of micro- and macro-epibionts on the Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtle carapace

Cited by 13 publications

References 49 publications

Surface microbiota of Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles unravelled by 16S and 18S amplicon sequencing

Surface microbiota of Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles unravelled by 16S and 18S amplicon sequencing

More than just hitchhikers: a survey of bacterial communities associated with diatoms originating from marine reptiles

Correlation Between Microbial Community and Hatching Failure in Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta

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