Microbial Depletion Is Associated with Slower Cnidarian Regeneration.

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Microbiology
• Regenerative Biology

Background:

• Cnidarian microbiomes are vital for physiology and development.
• The influence of these microbial communities on cnidarian tissue regeneration remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of antibiotic-induced microbiome disruption on the regeneration capabilities of two cnidarian species: Nematostella vectensis and Exaiptasia diaphana.
• To assess the functional role of the host-microbiome interaction in cnidarian regenerative processes.

Main Methods:

• Antibiotic treatment of bisected sea anemones (Nematostella and Aiptasia) in sterile or antibiotic-infused artificial seawater for seven days.
• Daily monitoring of regeneration, with final measurements of tentacle number and length.
• Microbial community profiling using 16S rRNA V4 region metabarcoding.

Main Results:

• Antibiotic exposure led to microbiome disruption, characterized by reduced microbial load and altered community composition in both species.
• Nematostella displayed more pronounced reductions in microbial diversity and community shifts compared to Aiptasia.
• Microbiome disruption was correlated with significantly slower regeneration rates and decreased tentacle development in both cnidarian models.

Conclusions:

• Host-microbiome interactions are essential for maintaining regenerative processes in both symbiotic and aposymbiotic cnidarians.
• These findings underscore the importance of cnidarian-microbiome dynamics in responding to environmental stressors.
• Understanding these interactions is critical for predicting cnidarian resilience in changing marine environments.