Invasive macroalgae shape chemical and microbial waterscapes on coral reefs
Chloé Pozas-Schacre1, Hugo Bischoff2, Delphine Raviglione3,4
1PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, UAR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France. pozaschloe@gmail.com.
Communications Biology
|January 6, 2025
Summary
Experimental macroalgal removal altered reef boundary layers, enriching degraded microbes and specific chemical compounds. These findings reveal how algal proliferation impacts coral reef microbial communities and chemical environments.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Chemical Oceanography
- Ecology
Background:
- Human impacts have shifted tropical benthic reef communities, causing coral depletion and macroalgal proliferation.
- The effects of these community shifts on reef chemical and microbial waterscapes are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how experimental macroalgal removal influences the chemical and microbial composition of benthic and momentum reef boundary layers.
- To understand the spatial structuring of chemical and microbial waterscapes in relation to macroalgal dominance.
Main Methods:
- Experimental removal of macroalgal assemblages on tropical reefs.
- Analysis of chemical and microbial composition within benthic and momentum boundary layers.
- Spatial analysis of chemical and microbial waterscapes.
Main Results:
- Chemical and microbial waterscapes exhibited spatial structuring influenced by macroalgal dominance and boundary layer type.
- Microbes associated with reef degradation were more abundant in boundary layers around macroalgal-dominated areas.
- Macroalgae released distinct chemical pools, including lipids and labile organic matter, into boundary layers.
- Strong co-variations were observed between algal metabolites and planktonic microbes.
Conclusions:
- Macroalgal proliferation significantly alters the chemical and microbial characteristics of reef boundary layers.
- Algal-derived metabolites play a role in shaping microbial communities in degraded reef environments.
- Understanding these interactions is crucial for assessing coral reef functioning and resilience.
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