A MULTISPECIES HOST BIOFILM MICROBIOME STRATEGY FOR MONITORING REEF HEALTH IN PORT INFLUENCED COASTAL SYSTEMS

This project investigates microbial communities associated with multiple reef organisms exposed to environmental contamination in Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Samples were collected from three reef sites (Porto do Forno, Praia do Forno, and Pedra Vermelha) representing different levels of anthropogenic impact related to port activities. The sampled hosts include seawater, the hydrocoral Millepora alcicornis, the ascidian Phallusia nigra, the sea urchin Echinometra lucunter, the damselfish Stegastes fuscus, and turf algae. Microbial community composition was characterized using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to investigate potential shifts in microbiome structure associated with heavy metal and hydrocarbon contamination.