Macroalgal Morphology affects composition and settlement of microbial communities

Macroalgae (seaweeds) have an intimate relationship with their microbial symbionts. Microbial communities associated with macroalgal surfaces (epibiota) are generally host-specific and, historically, there has been great interest in the role of biological compounds and chemical warfare in microbial community assembly on seaweeds. However, the interaction between seaweeds and their environment may also influence community assembly of their microbiota. In this experiment, I ask whether the interaction between water flow and seaweed morphology affects the settlement and structure of microbial biofilms. I test whether three common algal morphologies select for differential biofilm communities using artificial macro algae units (AM units) made out of latex. I find that morphology does affect initial microbial settlement and community structure, but that eventual dominance of substrate specialists (in our case, a latex degrader) swamps the influence of morphology in long-term biofilms.

大型海藻（海草）与其微生物共生体之间存在着密切的联系。与大型海藻表面（共生体）相关的微生物群落通常具有宿主特异性，在历史上，人们对生物化合物和化学战争在大型海藻表面微生物群落组装中所起的作用一直抱有极大的兴趣。然而，海藻与环境的相互作用也可能影响其微生物群落的群落组装。在本实验中，我探究了水流与海藻形态之间的相互作用是否会影响微生物生物膜的形成和结构。我通过使用由天然橡胶制成的模拟大型海藻单元（AM单元）测试了三种常见的藻类形态是否选择性地筛选出不同的生物膜群落。我发现形态确实影响了初始微生物的定居和群落结构，但最终底物专家（在本例中为橡胶降解者）的统治地位淹没了形态在长期生物膜中的影响。