Microbial diversity of Orbicella faveolata corals from two Colombian reefs

This BioProject contains 16S rRNA sequenced from Orbicella faveolata corals used in a reciprocal transplant experiment in Varadero and Rosario reefs, located off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia. Coral reefs are undergoing degradation due to overexploitation, pollution, and climate change. Management and restoration efforts require that we gain a better understanding of the complex interactions between corals, their microbiomes, and their environment. For this purpose, Varadero Reef near Cartagena, Colombia, serves as an informative study system. Varadero is located at the entrance of the Bay of Cartagena adjacent to the Canal del Dique, which carries turbid and polluted water into the bay. Varadero's survival under poor environmental conditions makes it a great study site for investigating the relationship between the microbiome and coral resistance to environmental stressors. To determine whether the microbiomes of Varadero corals differ from those in less impacted sites, we conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment by relocating coral fragments from Varadero as well as a geographically proximate reef that is less affected by plume dynamics (Rosario) across a gradient of turbidity (low, medium, and high). Mother colony samples, pre-transplant fragment samples, and post-transplant fragment samples were all sequenced for 16S and are included in this project.