Diazotrophic community and associated dinitrogen fixation within the temperate coral Oculina patagonica

Type Article
Date 2019-01
Language English
Author(s) Bednarz Vanessa N.1, Van De Water Jeroen A. J. M.1, Rabouille Sophie2, 3, Maguer Jean-Francois4, Grover Renaud1, Ferrier-Pages Christine1
Affiliation(s) 1 : Ctr Sci Monaco, Marine Dept, 8 Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000 Monaco, Monaco.
2 : UPMC Univ Paris 06, Sorbonne Univ, UMR 7093, LOV,Observ Oceanol, F-06230 Villefranche Sur Mer, France.
3 : CNRS, UMR 7093, LOV, Observ Oceanol, F-06230 Villefranche Sur Mer, France.
4 : Inst Univ Europeen Mer, LEMAR, UMR 6539, UBO,CNRS,IRD, Pl Nicolas Copernic, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
Source Environmental Microbiology (1462-2912) (Wiley), 2019-01 , Vol. 21 , N. 1 , P. 480-495
DOI 10.1111/1462-2920.14480
WOS© Times Cited 24
Abstract

Dinitrogen (N-2) fixing bacteria (diazotrophs) are an important source of new nitrogen in oligotrophic environments and represent stable members of the microbiome in tropical corals, while information on corals from temperate oligotrophic regions is lacking. Therefore, this study provides new insights into the diversity and activity of diazotrophs associated with the temperate coral Oculina patagonica from the Mediterranean Sea by combining metabarcoding sequencing of amplicons of both the 16S rRNA and nifH genes and N-15(2) stable isotope tracer analysis to assess diazotroph-derived nitrogen (DDN) assimilation by the coral. Results show that the diazotrophic community of O. patagonica is dominated by autotrophic bacteria (i.e. Cyanobacteria and Chlorobia). The majority of DDN was assimilated into the tissue and skeletal matrix, and DDN assimilation significantly increased in bleached corals. Thus, diazotrophs may constitute an additional nitrogen source for the coral host, when nutrient exchange with Symbiodinium is disrupted (e.g. bleaching) and external food supply is limited (e.g. oligotrophic summer season). Furthermore, we hypothesize that DDN can facilitate the fast proliferation of endolithic algae, which provide an alternative carbon source for bleached O. patagonica. Overall, O. patagonica could serve as a good model for investigating the importance of diazotrophs in coral recovery from bleaching.

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Bednarz Vanessa N., Van De Water Jeroen A. J. M., Rabouille Sophie, Maguer Jean-Francois, Grover Renaud, Ferrier-Pages Christine (2019). Diazotrophic community and associated dinitrogen fixation within the temperate coral Oculina patagonica. Environmental Microbiology, 21(1), 480-495. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14480 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00605/71677/