Bacterial communities associated with the wood-feeding gastropod Pectinodonta sp. (Patellogastropoda, Mollusca)

Even though their occurrence was reported a long time ago, sunken wood ecosystems at the deep-sea floor have only recently received specific attention. Accumulations of wood fragments in the deep sea create niches for a diverse fauna, but the significance of the wood itself as a food source remains to be evaluated. Pectinodonta sp. is a patellogastropod that exclusively occurs on woody substrates, where individuals excavate deep depressions, and is thus a potential candidate for a wood-eating lifestyle. Several approaches were used on Pectinodonta sampled close to Tongoa island (Vanuatu) to investigate its dietary habits. Host carbon is most likely derived from the wood material based on stable isotopes analyses, and high cellulase activity was measured in the digestive mass. Electron microscopy and FISH revealed the occurrence of two distinct and dense bacterial communities, in the digestive gland and on the gill. Gland-associated 16S rRNA gene bacterial phylotypes, confirmed by in situ hybridization, included members of three divisions (Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes), and were moderately related (90-96% sequence identity) to polymer-degrading and denitrifying bacteria. Gill-associated phylotypes included representatives of the Delta- and Epsilonproteobacteria. The possible involvement of these two bacterial communities in wood utilization by Pectinodonta sp. is discussed.