HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Copyright Statement
All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.
Title
Microbial Communities with Emphasis on Coral Disease-Associated Bacteria within Florida Reef Sponges
Defense Date
8-2009
Document Type
Thesis - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
M.S. Marine Biology
Department
Oceanographic Center
First Advisor
Jose Lopez
Second Advisor
Patricia Blackwelder
Third Advisor
Scott Schatz
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that bacteria associated with coral diseases are not found in the surrounding water column at detectable levels, yet at the same time, coral diseases are becoming more prominent. Sponges are coral reef residents, which expel filtered seawater that is practically sterile of microbes. Therefore sponges harbor very diverse and abundant microbial communities. This leads to the possibility that coral disease associated bacteria (CDAB) may be present within reef sponge microcosms. In order to identify internal microbes, nonculturable techniques including fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), electron microscopy (EM) and 16S small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene cloning and sequencing were applied to local Florida reef sponges Agelas tubulata, Amphimedon compressa and Aplysina fistularis. This study targeted potential coral bacterial pathogens with FISH including Aurantimonas coralicida, Cytophaga sp., Desulfvibrio spp., Firmicutes, Serrattia marcescans, and Vibrio shiloni AK-1. All of the targeted coral disease associated bacteria were found within A. compressa and A. tubulata with FISH, but not in every individual. Differences in the spatial arrangement of targeted microbes were also seen within these sponge hosts. For instance, the two anaerobic bacteria Desulfovibrio spp. and S. marcescans were found in aggragates. In addition, electron microscopy revealed a higher abundance of bacteria in Applysina fistularis choanosome compared to the ectosome.
NSUWorks Citation
Karita L. Negandhi. 2009. Microbial Communities with Emphasis on Coral Disease-Associated Bacteria within Florida Reef Sponges. Master's thesis. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Oceanographic Center. (109)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_stuetd/109.
Comments
Additional supplemental material.