Coral reef host health and microbiome dynamics Raw sequence reads. Microbiome dynamics of coral reefs

Ocean warming, acidification, and other rapidly changing environmental conditions threaten the health of reef-building corals. The host microbiome provides essential context for understanding the growth and health of Caribbean reef building species of coral. Microbiome profiles rely on microbial marker gene sequencing, yet coral-associated microbiomes comparisons over time are semi-quantitative. In this study we examined the dynamics of coral-associated microbiomes in St. Croix, USVI with respect to reef biogeography and microbiome endemism. Stony coral reef fragments from Cane Bay and Channel Rock reefs were used in reciprocal transplant experiments. The microbiomes of original and transplanted coral fragments, as well as proximal seawater samples, were amplicon sequenced. Additionally, to better quantitate changes in the microbiomes, we compared the microbial profiles to the abundance of artificial nucleic acid sequences spiked into select samples.