Diversity and Dynamics of Deep Water Coral Associated Microbial Communities

Sara C. Polson^1,2 and Cheryl M. Woodley^1,2

¹ Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC

² NOAA/National Ocean Service, Charleston, SC

Worldwide, corals have been severely impacted by and continue to be at risk from both natural and anthropogenic factors.  It has been theorized that the normal microflora that is associated with coral is important for maintaining their health, and act as primary responders against pathogenic microorganisms, by out-competing newcomers or by producing substances that inhibit the growth of other microorganisms.  Understanding the composition of coral associated microbial communities as well as shifts in overall microbial diversity that occur with stress and disease may be useful in predicting or diagnosing types of stress in these organisms in the future.  The goal of this research is to describe deep water coral microbial communities and determine whether these communities are different from the microbial communities of the sounding habitat; and whether the communities are different between coral with different health conditions.  In this study genomic DNA was extracted from the deep water corals Lophelia pertusa, and Fanellia sp.  Bacterial specific 16s rRNA genes were amplified, cloned, and sequenced and then was analyzed using the RDP classifier tool and DNAstar software.  Sequence data showed that coral samples had unique microbial communities when compared to the surrounding sea water and that apparently healthy coral had a different community than that of a disease/damaged coral of the same species.  These data show initial support for the use of coral associated microbial communities as indicators of the health status of corals.