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Microbial communities developing within bulk sediments under fish carcasses on a tidal flat
Yasutake Kawamoto1, Hiromi Kato1, Yuji Nagata1
1Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
Plos One
|February 25, 2021
Summary
Animal carcasses in tidal flats create unique bacterial and protozoan communities in surrounding sediment. These distinct microbial assemblages, forming a temporary food web, are influenced by the carcass and microbe interactions.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Microbial ecology
- Ecosystem dynamics
Background:
- Animal carcasses deposited in tidal flats act as nutrient-rich microhabitats.
- These unique environments may influence microbial communities in adjacent sediments.
- Limited knowledge exists on microbial assemblages around carcasses in intertidal zones.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate bacterial and ciliophoran assemblages associated with fish carcasses in a tidal flat.
- To understand the temporal dynamics of these microbial communities.
Main Methods:
- Incubation of fish carcasses in the Higashiyachi tidal flat, Japan.
- Collection of sediment samples at 2, 9, and 42 days post-incubation.
- Analysis of bacterial and ciliophoran communities using 16S and 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in bacterial and ciliophoran operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were observed between sediment with and without carcasses.
- The composition and relative abundance of microbial assemblages were altered by the presence of carcasses.
- Evidence suggests direct and indirect effects of carcasses on microbial community structure.
Conclusions:
- Animal carcasses significantly shape unique bacterial and ciliophoran assemblages in tidal flat sediments.
- These carcasses establish a transient microbial food web influenced by direct and indirect ecological interactions.
- The specialized microbial food web associated with carcasses is temporary, disappearing within weeks.
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