Metataxonomic microbiome profiling of hermatypic corals, sea anemones and the surrounding environmental samples collected from unprotected Indian reef - PALK BAY

This study investigates the bacterial and archaeal diversity across various environmental samples, including sea sediment, coral rubble, and the surrounding water column. It further compares the microbiome profiles of these environments with those of four hermatypic coral species viz., Acropora sp., Favites abdita, Favia sp., and Symphyllia sp. which are predominantly found at the study site in Palk Bay (South-East Coast of India), to identify the core coral microbiome. Additionally, the microbiome of another marine invertebrate, the sea anemone Heteractis aurora, whose bleaching patterns and Symbiodiniaceae genus resemble those of corals, was analyzed to validate the core coral microbiome. All samples were examined using 16S rRNA metataxonomic sequencing, targeting the V3-V4 hypervariable region.