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Specificity and temporal dynamics of complex bacteria--sponge symbiotic interactions.
Johannes R Björk1, C Díez-Vives1, Rafel Coma2
1Instituto de Ciencias del Mar, Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
Ecology
|March 7, 2014
Summary
Sponge-associated bacteria communities are more stable over time in hosts with intricate symbiotic relationships. This study reveals how host traits influence bacterial community persistence and specialization in marine sponges.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Microbial Ecology
- Symbiosis Research
Background:
- Microbe-host symbiotic associations are fundamental to most life but remain underexplored compared to other species interactions.
- Current symbiosis research often focuses on simplified, species-poor systems, overlooking the complexity of diverse host-associated microbial communities.
- Marine sponges host abundant and diverse bacteria, with symbiotic interactions hypothesized to be of ancient origin.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specificity, phylogenetic community structure, and temporal variability of abundant bacteria associated with diverse sponge hosts.
- To explore how sponge host eco-evolutionary characteristics influence their associated bacterial communities.
- To understand the temporal dynamics and persistence of sponge-bacterial interactions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a monthly resolved annual temporal series of both host-associated and free-living bacteria.
- Analyzed bacterial communities from various sponge host species with differing eco-evolutionary traits.
- Examined host-bacteria reciprocal specialization across different temporal scales and taxonomic aggregation levels.
Main Results:
- Host-bacteria reciprocal specialization is dependent on the temporal scale and taxonomic level considered.
- Sponge hosts with similar eco-evolutionary characteristics exhibited similar bacterial phylogenetic community structures over time.
- Hosts with more intricate relationships showed remarkably persistent bacterial communities, unlike free-living bacterioplankton with high turnover.
Conclusions:
- Sponge host traits significantly influence the structure and temporal stability of their associated bacterial communities.
- Temporal variability is crucial for understanding the specificity and persistence of host-microbe interactions.
- The study emphasizes the need for new paradigms to study complex, ancient microbe-host associations in marine environments.
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