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Chemicals that diffuse coral surfaces into the surrounding seawater could be used as indicators of coral health.
The researchers measured the environmental parameters around the coral colonies and collected samples to badyze the microbiomes and molecules on the surface of the coral.
With the kind permission of Dr. Alexandray Mystikou and Prof. Shady Amin.
Changes in chemicals released by microbes on the surface of corals could indicate disease, according to a study conducted in the United Arab Emirates.
Corals are immobile organisms that must be able to adapt quickly to changes in their environment to survive. To do this, they cover their surface with a layer of mucus that houses a diverse microbial community.
"The chemicals on the surface of the coral can play an antibacterial role, fight harmful microbes or attract chemo-attractiveness, attracting beneficial microbes," says marine microbiologist Shady Amin of the University of New York at Abu Dhabi.
Changes in temperature, light or salinity can trigger a change in the chemical composition of the mucus and a change in resident microorganisms. This is likely to influence the recruitment of beneficial microorganisms and increase the vulnerability of corals to infection.
"The purpose of our research is to characterize how corals react to their environment to better predict the mechanisms that lead to coral disease, a major cause of the world's declining coral population," says Amin.
Previous research has shown dramatic changes in the chemical profile surrounding infected coral surfaces. Amin and his team badyzed water samples taken at different distances from two different species of coral colonies in the Persian Gulf. They discovered that these colonies produced a cloud of molecules distinctly different from the surrounding seawater and could be detected up to five centimeters from their surface.
They identified six potential indicators of coral disease, which could inform scientists about the health status of corals. Further characterization of these chemical signatures may help predict coral disease before it occurs, prompting intervention. "Our results suggest that by identifying candidate biomarkers of coral diseases, we can, in theory, develop an early warning system that can be used for surveillance efforts," says Amin.
Manuel Aranda, coral reef genomics expert at the Red Sea Research Center of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology of Saudi Arabia, is excited about the implications of this method for exploring other aspects of coral biology . "By using the techniques described in this study, we will be able to gain in-depth knowledge of the chemical-mediated communication between corals and their symbiotic microbial communities," says Aranda, who did not participate in the study. "This will open up a whole new world of things that we can examine and provide new information on the dynamics of microbial coral communities," he adds.
Amin and her colleagues plan to expand their work to include other species of corals in a larger number of geographical locations.
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