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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
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Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations
Published on: October 29, 2016
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Spatial compartmentalisation of bacteria in phoronid microbiomes
Corey C Holt1,2, Sahib Dhaliwal3, Ina Na3
1Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. corey.holt@ubc.ca.
Scientific Reports
|October 31, 2023
Summary
Phoronids, marine invertebrates, host unique bacterial microbiomes that differ from surrounding water. These phoronid microbiomes are unstable, changing within a month, with tubes significantly contributing to the overall bacterial community.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Microbial Ecology
- Invertebrate Zoology
Background:
- Phoronida are filter-feeding marine invertebrates living in tubes.
- Despite their environment, phoronids lack microbiome data.
- Their tube-building behavior suggests potential for symbiotic bacteria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the bacterial microbiome of Phoronida.
- To compare phoronid microbiomes with surrounding environmental bacteria.
- To investigate the contribution of tubes and tissues to the phoronid microbiome.
Main Methods:
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V4 region) was used.
- Bacterial communities in whole phoronids, isolated tubes, naked animals, and surrounding water were analyzed.
- Temporal stability of microbiomes within a colony was assessed.
Main Results:
- Phoronid microbiomes significantly differ from surrounding water communities.
- Microbiome composition showed significant variation within the same colony over one month.
- The phoronid tube was identified as a major contributor to the whole-animal microbiome.
Conclusions:
- Phoronids harbor distinct, yet temporally unstable, bacterial microbiomes.
- The tube environment plays a crucial role in shaping the phoronid microbiome.
- Further research is needed to understand the dynamics of phoronid-microbe interactions.
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