Many different microorganisms associate with the coral host in a single entity known as the holobiont, and their interactions with the host contribute to coral health, thereby making them a fundamental part of reef function, survival, and conservation. As corals continue to be susceptible to bleaching due to environmental stress, coral-associated bacteria may have a potential role in alleviating bleaching. This review provides a synthesis of the various roles bacteria have in coral physiology and development, and explores the possibility that changes in the microbiome with environmental stress could have major implications in how corals acclimatize and survive. Recent studies on the interactions between the coral's algal and bacterial symbionts elucidate how bacteria may stabilize algal health and, therefore, mitigate bleaching. A summary of the innovative tools and experiments to examine host–microbe interactions in other cnidarians (a temperate coral, a jellyfish, two anemones, and a freshwater hydroid) is offered in this review to delineate our current knowledge of mechanisms underlying microbial establishment and maintenance in the animal host. A better understanding of these mechanisms may enhance the success of maintaining probiotics long-term in corals as a conservation strategy.
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March 2022
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Cover Image
Cover Image
The cover of this issue of Emerging Topics in Life Sciences (volume 6, issue 1) features a reefscape image including groups of predators (reef sharks and snappers) patrolling the reefs of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), Republic of Kiribati (photographer: Dr. Brian Zgliczynski).
Review Article|
February 04 2022
Coral–microbe interactions: their importance to reef function and survival
Cawa Tran
Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Chico 95929, CA, U.S.A.
Correspondence: Cawa Tran (ctran29@csuchico.edu)
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
September 22 2021
Revision Received:
January 04 2022
Accepted:
January 12 2022
Online ISSN: 2397-8562
Print ISSN: 2397-8554
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society and the Royal Society of Biology
2022
Emerg Top Life Sci (2022) 6 (1): 33–44.
Article history
Received:
September 22 2021
Revision Received:
January 04 2022
Accepted:
January 12 2022
Citation
Cawa Tran; Coral–microbe interactions: their importance to reef function and survival. Emerg Top Life Sci 14 March 2022; 6 (1): 33–44. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20210229
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