Multi-trophic interactions in a seagrass ecosystem

This study identified a novel intracellular Shewanella in the gills of chemosymbiotic lucinid bivalves from the eastern Atlantic. Expanding the analyses to the surrounding environment, we detected Shewanella sequences identical to those from lucinids in fecal samples from shorebirds that feed on them. Since Shewanella are common natural associates of birds, we hypothesize that Shewanella could have been introduced to lucinids through predation by migratory shorebirds, and if so, could have immense potential for dispersal. These results demonstrate how symbiosis can link multiple trophic levels in a keystone coastal ecosystem via introduction and transfer of host-adapted microorganisms. Sequencing was performed at the Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna under the project ID JMF-2011-D.