Microbiome of a reef-building coral displays signs of acclimation to a stressful shallow hydrothermal vent habitat

Most tropical reef corals live at temperatures near 27 degrees celsius and pH values near 8. Conditions outside of these can stress corals and lead to bleaching, disease and death. However, some corals can survive in marginal or extreme habitats outside of these ranges. Coral, sediment and water samples from along a transect that crossed an arc of hydrothermal vents were sequenced for the 16S rRNA gene (V4 region).

绝大多数热带造礁珊瑚的适宜生存温度约为27摄氏度，适宜pH值约为8。超出该范围的环境条件会对珊瑚造成胁迫，进而引发珊瑚白化、病害乃至死亡。但部分珊瑚可在该适宜范围之外的边缘或极端生境中存活。本研究对横跨热液喷口弧带的样带上采集的珊瑚、沉积物及水样，针对16S核糖体RNA（16S rRNA）基因的V4区域进行了测序。