Marine Science Faculty Publications
Microbial Communities Associated with Skeletal Tumors on Porites compressa
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2005
Keywords
Coral, Skeletal tumor, Microbe, Bacteria, Vibrio, Growth rate
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.femsle.2005.01.004
Abstract
Coral tumors are atypical skeletal forms found on coral reefs worldwide. Here we present an analysis of the microbial communities associated with skeletal tumors on the coral Porites compressa. Microbial growth rates on both healthy and tumorous P. compressa were decoupled from the surrounding water column. Microbial communities associated with tumorous colonies had a significantly faster growth rate than those associated with healthy P. compressa. The microbial community associated with the tumors contained more culturable Vibrio spp. and could utilize more carbon sources than the microbes associated with healthy colonies. Presence of tumors affected the composition and dynamics of the microbial population associated with the entire colony.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
No
Citation / Publisher Attribution
FEMS Microbiology Letters, v. 243, issue 2, p. 431-436
Scholar Commons Citation
Breitbart, Mya; Bhagooli, Ranjeet; Griffin, Sean; Johnston, Ian; and Rohwer, Forest, "Microbial Communities Associated with Skeletal Tumors on Porites compressa" (2005). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 796.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/796