Belize Mangrove Versus Lagoon Coral Microbiomes

Though widely regarded as inhospitable for corals, mangroves contribute to the ecological niche of many species. The ability to exploit mangroves, a derived trait in multiple coral lineages, could increase the resilience of these habitat generalists. However, environmental differences encountered by corals in reefs and mangroves may require microbiome reorganization to maintain optimal physiology. Using 16S and ITS2 sequencing, we characterized Bacteria, Archaea, and chloroplast-containing microeukaryotes in the microbiomes of two widespread Caribbean corals, Porites astreoides and Siderastrea siderea, from lagoon patch reefs and mangroves in the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve in Belize.