Probiotics reshape the coral microbiome in situ without detectable off-target effects in the surrounding environment.

Beneficial microorganisms for corals (BMCs), or probiotics, can enhance coral resilience against stressors in laboratory trials. However, the ability of probiotics to restructure the coral microbiome in situ is yet to be determined. As a first step to elucidate this, we inoculated putative probiotic bacteria (pBMCs) on healthy colonies of Pocillopora verrucosa in situ in the Red Sea, three times per week, during 3 months. pBMCs significantly influenced the coral microbiome, while bacteria of the surrounding seawater and sediment remained unchanged. The inoculated genera Halomonas, Pseudoalteromonas, and Bacillus were significantly enriched in probiotic-treated corals. Furthermore, the probiotic treatment also correlated with an increase in other beneficial groups (e.g., Ruegeria and Limosilactobacillus), and a decrease in potential coral pathogens, such as Vibrio. As all corals (treated and non-treated) remained healthy throughout the experiment, we could not track health improvements or protection against stress. Our data indicate that healthy, and therefore stable, coral microbiomes can be restructured in situ, although repeated and continuous inoculations may be required in these cases. Further, our study provides supporting evidence that, at the studied scale, pBMCs have no detectable off-target effects on the surrounding microbiomes of seawater and sediment near inoculated corals.

Horizon scanning the application of probiotics for wildlife.

The provision of probiotics benefits the health of a wide range of organisms, from humans to animals and plants. Probiotics can enhance stress resilience of endangered organisms, many of which are critically threatened by anthropogenic impacts. The use of so-called 'probiotics for wildlife' is a nascent application, and the field needs to reflect on standards for its development, testing, validation, risk assessment, and deployment. Here, we identify the main challenges of this emerging intervention and provide a roadmap to validate the effectiveness of wildlife probiotics. We cover the essential use of inert negative controls in trials and the investigation of the probiotic mechanisms of action. We also suggest alternative microbial therapies that could be tested in parallel with the probiotic application. Our recommendations align approaches used for humans, aquaculture, and plants to the emerging concept and use of probiotics for wildlife.

Bioturbation Intensity Modifies the Sediment Microbiome and Biochemistry and Supports Plant Growth in an Arid Mangrove System.

In intertidal systems, the type and role of interactions among sediment microorganisms, animals, plants and abiotic factors are complex and not well understood. Such interactions are known to promote nutrient provision and cycling, and their dynamics and relationships may be of particular importance in arid microtidal systems characterized by minimal nutrient input. Focusing on an arid mangrove ecosystem on the central Red Sea coast, we investigated the effect of crab bioturbation intensity (comparing natural and manipulated high levels of bioturbation intensity) on biogeochemistry and bacterial communities of mangrove sediments, and on growth performance of Avicennia marina, over a period of 16 months. Along with pronounced seasonal patterns with harsh summer conditions, in which high sediment salinity, sulfate and temperature, and absence of tidal flooding occur, sediment bacterial diversity and composition, sediment physicochemical conditions, and plant performance were significantly affected by crab bioturbation intensity. For instance, bioturbation intensity influenced components of nitrogen, carbon, and phosphate cycling, bacterial relative abundance (i.e., Bacteroidia, Proteobacteria and Rhodothermi) and their predicted functionality (i.e., chemoheterotrophy), likely resulting from enhanced metabolic activity of aerobic bacteria. The complex interactions among bacteria, animals, and sediment chemistry in this arid mangrove positively impact plant growth. We show that a comprehensive approach targeting multiple biological levels provides useful information on the ecological status of mangrove forests. IMPORTANCE Bioturbation is one of the most important processes that governs sediment biocenosis in intertidal systems. By facilitating oxygen penetration into anoxic layers, bioturbation alters the overall sediment biogeochemistry. Here, we investigate how high crab bioturbation intensity modifies the mangrove sediment bacterial community, which is the second largest component of mangrove sediment biomass and plays a significant role in major biogeochemical processes. We show that the increase in crab bioturbation intensity, by ameliorating the anoxic condition of mangrove sediment and promoting sediment bacterial diversity in favor of a beneficial bacterial microbiome, improves mangrove tree growth in arid environments. These findings have significant implications because they show how crabs, by farming the mangrove sediment, can enhance the overall capacity of the system to sustain mangrove growth, fighting climate change.

Host-association as major driver of microbiome structure and composition in Red Sea seagrass ecosystems.

The role of the microbiome in sustaining seagrasses has recently been highlighted. However, our understanding of the seagrass microbiome lacks behind that of other organisms. Here, we analyse the endophytic and total bacterial communities of leaves, rhizomes, and roots of six Red Sea seagrass species and their sediments. The structure of seagrass bacterial communities revealed that the 1% most abundant OTUs accounted for 87.9% and 74.8% of the total numbers of reads in sediment and plant tissue samples, respectively. We found taxonomically distinct bacterial communities in vegetated and bare sediments. Yet, our results suggest that lifestyle (i.e. free-living or host-association) is the main driver of bacterial community composition. Seagrass bacterial communities were tissue- and species-specific and differed from those of surrounding sediments. We identified OTUs belonging to genera related to N and S cycles in roots, and members of Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes phyla as particularly enriched in root endosphere. The finding of highly similar OTUs in well-defined sub-clusters by network analysis suggests the co-occurrence of highly connected key members within Red Sea seagrass bacterial communities. These results provide key information towards the understanding of the role of microorganisms in seagrass ecosystem functioning framed under the seagrass holobiont concept.

Long-range transport of airborne microbes over the global tropical and subtropical ocean.

The atmosphere plays a fundamental role in the transport of microbes across the planet but it is often neglected as a microbial habitat. Although the ocean represents two thirds of the Earth's surface, there is little information on the atmospheric microbial load over the open ocean. Here we provide a global estimate of microbial loads and air-sea exchanges over the tropical and subtropical oceans based on the data collected along the Malaspina 2010 Circumnavigation Expedition. Total loads of airborne prokaryotes and eukaryotes were estimated at 2.2 × 1021 and 2.1 × 1021 cells, respectively. Overall 33-68% of these microorganisms could be traced to a marine origin, being transported thousands of kilometres before re-entering the ocean. Moreover, our results show a substantial load of terrestrial microbes transported over the oceans, with abundances declining exponentially with distance from land and indicate that islands may act as stepping stones facilitating the transoceanic transport of terrestrial microbes.The extent to which the ocean acts as a sink and source of airborne particles to the atmosphere is unresolved. Here, the authors report high microbial loads over the tropical Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans and propose islands as stepping stones for the transoceanic transport of terrestrial microbes..

Endophytic bacterial community of a Mediterranean marine angiosperm (Posidonia oceanica).

Bacterial endophytes are crucial for the survival of many terrestrial plants, but little is known about the presence and importance of bacterial endophytes of marine plants. We conducted a survey of the endophytic bacterial community of the long-living Mediterranean marine angiosperm Posidonia oceanica in surface-sterilized tissues (roots, rhizomes, and leaves) by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE). A total of 26 Posidonia oceanica meadows around the Balearic Islands were sampled, and the band patterns obtained for each meadow were compared for the three sampled tissues. Endophytic bacterial sequences were detected in most of the samples analyzed. A total of 34 OTUs (Operational Taxonomic Units) were detected. The main OTUs of endophytic bacteria present in P. oceanica tissues belonged primarily to Proteobacteria (α, γ, and δ subclasses) and Bacteroidetes. The OTUs found in roots significantly differed from those of rhizomes and leaves. Moreover, some OTUs were found to be associated to each type of tissue. Bipartite network analysis revealed differences in the bacterial endophyte communities present on different islands. The results of this study provide a pioneering step toward the characterization of the endophytic bacterial community associated with tissues of a marine angiosperm and reveal the presence of bacterial endophytes that differed among locations and tissue types.

Marinomonas alcarazii sp. nov., M. rhizomae sp. nov., M. foliarum sp. nov., M. posidonica sp. nov. and M. aquiplantarum sp. nov., isolated from the microbiota of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica.

Five novel Gram-reaction-negative aerobic marine bacterial strains with DNA G+C contents <50 mol% were isolated from the seagrass Posidonia oceanica. 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicated that they belonged to the genus Marinomonas. Major fatty acid compositions, comprising C10:0 3-OH, C16:0, C16:1ω7c and C18:1ω7c, supported the affiliation of these strains to the genus Marinomonas. Strains IVIA-Po-14b(T), IVIA-Po-145(T) and IVIA-Po-155(T) were closely related to Marinomonas pontica 46-16(T), according to phylogenetic analysis. However, DNA-DNA hybridization values <35 % among these strains revealed that they represented different species. Further differences in the phenotypes and minor fatty acid compositions were also found among the strains. Another two strains, designated IVIA-Po-181(T) and IVIA-Po-159(T), were found to be closely related to M. dokdonensis DSW10-10(T) but DNA-DNA relatedness levels <40 % in pairwise comparisons, as well as some additional differences in phenotypes and fatty acid compositions supported the creation of two novel species. Accordingly, strains IVIA-Po-14b(T )( = CECT 7730(T)  = NCIMB 14671(T)), IVIA-Po-145(T) ( = CECT 7377(T)  = NCIMB 14431(T)), IVIA-Po-155(T) ( = CECT 7731(T)  = NCIMB 14672(T)), IVIA-Po-181(T) ( = CECT 7376(T)  = NCIMB 14433(T)) and IVIA-Po-159(T) ( = CECT 7732(T)  = NCIMB 14673(T)) represent novel species, for which the names Marinomonas alcarazii sp. nov., Marinomonas rhizomae sp. nov., Marinomonas foliarum sp. nov., Marinomonas posidonica sp. nov. and Marinomonas aquiplantarum sp. nov. are proposed, respectively.

Taxonomic study of Marinomonas strains isolated from the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, with descriptions of Marinomonas balearica sp. nov. and Marinomonas pollencensis sp. nov.

Novel aerobic, Gram-negative bacteria with DNA G+C contents below 50 mol% were isolated from the culturable microbiota associated with the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica. 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses revealed that they belong to the genus Marinomonas. Strain IVIA-Po-186 is a strain of the species Marinomonas mediterranea, showing 99.77 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with the type strain, MMB-1(T), and sharing all phenotypic characteristics studied. This is the first description of this species forming part of the microbiota of a marine plant. A second strain, designated IVIA-Po-101(T), was closely related to M. mediterranea based on phylogenetic studies. However, it differed in characteristics such as melanin synthesis and tyrosinase, laccase and antimicrobial activities. In addition, strain IVIA-Po-101(T) was auxotrophic and unable to use acetate. IVIA-Po-101(T) shared 97.86 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with M. mediterranea MMB-1(T), but the level of DNA-DNA relatedness between the two strains was only 10.3 %. On the basis of these data, strain IVIA-Po-101(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Marinomonas, for which the name Marinomonas balearica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is IVIA-Po-101(T) (=CECT 7378(T) =NCIMB 14432(T)). A third novel strain, IVIA-Po-185(T), was phylogenetically distant from all recognized Marinomonas species. It shared the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (97.4 %) with the type strain of Marinomonas pontica, but the level of DNA-DNA relatedness between the two strains was only 14.5 %. A differential chemotaxonomic marker of this strain in the genus Marinomonas is the presence of the fatty acid C(17 : 0) cyclo. Strain IVIA-Po-185(T) is thus considered to represent a second novel species of the genus, for which the name Marinomonas pollencensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is IVIA-Po-185(T) (=CECT 7375(T) =NCIMB 14435(T)). An emended description of the genus Marinomonas is given based on the description of these two novel species, as well as other Marinomonas species described after the original description of the genus.