Jellyfish Life Stages Shape Associated Microbial Communities, While a Core Microbiome Is Maintained Across All

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Microbial ecology
• Evolutionary biology

Background:

• Jellyfish exhibit remarkable evolutionary success due to adaptability, including diverse life stages and reproductive modes.
• These adaptable traits suggest potential for extensive microbial associations, crucial for understanding their ecological roles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the bacterial assemblages associated with different life stages of the scyphozoan jellyfish Chrysaora plocamia.
• To identify a potential core microbial community across these life stages and its implications for jellyfish evolution.

Main Methods:

• Sampling of Chrysaora plocamia life stages: mother polyp, dormant cysts (podocysts), and newly excysted polyps.
• Assessment of associated bacterial communities using MiSeq Illumina paired-end tag sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene (V1V2 region).

Main Results:

• Identification of a core bacterial community consistently present across all investigated life stages of Chrysaora plocamia.
• The core bacteria include relatives known to be vital for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycling.
• Overlap of approximately 50% of the core bacteria with those found in the jellyfish Aurelia aurita, indicating a potential shared scyphozoan microbiome.

Conclusions:

• A stable core bacterial community is associated with Chrysaora plocamia throughout its life cycle.
• This microbial community likely plays a significant role in nutrient cycling and may be an intrinsic factor in the evolutionary success of scyphozoan jellyfish.