Stable dominance of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic sponges

Background Marine sponges are dominant components of Antarctic benthos and representative of the high endemism that characterizes this environment. All microbial groups are part of the Antarctic sponge holobionts, but microbial eukaryotes have been studied less, and their symbiotic role still needs...

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Main Authors: Marileyxis R. López-Rodríguez, Catherine Gérikas Ribeiro, Susana Rodríguez-Marconi, Génesis Parada-Pozo, Maria Manrique-de-la-Cuba, Nicole Trefault
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Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2024-11-01
Series:PeerJ
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/18365.pdf
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author Marileyxis R. López-Rodríguez
Catherine Gérikas Ribeiro
Susana Rodríguez-Marconi
Génesis Parada-Pozo
Maria Manrique-de-la-Cuba
Nicole Trefault
author_facet Marileyxis R. López-Rodríguez
Catherine Gérikas Ribeiro
Susana Rodríguez-Marconi
Génesis Parada-Pozo
Maria Manrique-de-la-Cuba
Nicole Trefault
author_sort Marileyxis R. López-Rodríguez
collection DOAJ
description Background Marine sponges are dominant components of Antarctic benthos and representative of the high endemism that characterizes this environment. All microbial groups are part of the Antarctic sponge holobionts, but microbial eukaryotes have been studied less, and their symbiotic role still needs to be better understood. Here, we characterize the dynamics of microbial eukaryotes associated with Antarctic sponges, focusing on dinoflagellates over three summer periods to better understand the members, interannual variations, and trophic and lifestyle strategies. Results The analysis revealed that dinoflagellates dominate microeukaryotic communities in Antarctic sponges. The results also showed significant differences in the diversity and composition of dinoflagellate communities associated with sponges compared to those in seawater. Antarctic sponges were dominated by a single dinoflagellate family, Syndiniales Dino-Group-I-Clade 1, which was present in high abundance in Antarctic sponges compared to seawater communities. Despite minor differences, the top microeukaryotic amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) showed no significant interannual abundance changes, indicating general temporal stability within the studied sponge species. Our findings highlight the abundance and importance of parasitic groups, particularly the classes Coccidiomorphea, Gregarinomorphea, and Ichthyosporea, with the exclusive dominance of Syndiniales Dino-Group-I-Clade 1 within sponges. Conclusions The present study comprehensively characterizes the microbial eukaryotes associated with Antarctic sponges, showing a remarkable stability of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic sponges. These findings underscore the significant role of parasites in these marine hosts, with implications for population dynamics of the microeukaryome and the holobiont response to a changing ocean.
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spelling doaj-art-656798b7d963451dbf7e6d231eac90e62024-11-10T15:05:08ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592024-11-0112e1836510.7717/peerj.18365Stable dominance of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic spongesMarileyxis R. López-Rodríguez0Catherine Gérikas Ribeiro1Susana Rodríguez-Marconi2Génesis Parada-Pozo3Maria Manrique-de-la-Cuba4Nicole Trefault5GEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, ChileGEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, ChileGEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, ChileGEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, ChileGEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, ChileGEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, ChileBackground Marine sponges are dominant components of Antarctic benthos and representative of the high endemism that characterizes this environment. All microbial groups are part of the Antarctic sponge holobionts, but microbial eukaryotes have been studied less, and their symbiotic role still needs to be better understood. Here, we characterize the dynamics of microbial eukaryotes associated with Antarctic sponges, focusing on dinoflagellates over three summer periods to better understand the members, interannual variations, and trophic and lifestyle strategies. Results The analysis revealed that dinoflagellates dominate microeukaryotic communities in Antarctic sponges. The results also showed significant differences in the diversity and composition of dinoflagellate communities associated with sponges compared to those in seawater. Antarctic sponges were dominated by a single dinoflagellate family, Syndiniales Dino-Group-I-Clade 1, which was present in high abundance in Antarctic sponges compared to seawater communities. Despite minor differences, the top microeukaryotic amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) showed no significant interannual abundance changes, indicating general temporal stability within the studied sponge species. Our findings highlight the abundance and importance of parasitic groups, particularly the classes Coccidiomorphea, Gregarinomorphea, and Ichthyosporea, with the exclusive dominance of Syndiniales Dino-Group-I-Clade 1 within sponges. Conclusions The present study comprehensively characterizes the microbial eukaryotes associated with Antarctic sponges, showing a remarkable stability of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic sponges. These findings underscore the significant role of parasites in these marine hosts, with implications for population dynamics of the microeukaryome and the holobiont response to a changing ocean.https://peerj.com/articles/18365.pdfEukaryotic microbial communitiesDinoflagellatesParasitismAntarctic spongesSyndiniales Dino-Group-I-Clade 1Antarctica
spellingShingle Marileyxis R. López-Rodríguez
Catherine Gérikas Ribeiro
Susana Rodríguez-Marconi
Génesis Parada-Pozo
Maria Manrique-de-la-Cuba
Nicole Trefault
Stable dominance of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic sponges
PeerJ
Eukaryotic microbial communities
Dinoflagellates
Parasitism
Antarctic sponges
Syndiniales Dino-Group-I-Clade 1
Antarctica
title Stable dominance of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic sponges
title_full Stable dominance of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic sponges
title_fullStr Stable dominance of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic sponges
title_full_unstemmed Stable dominance of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic sponges
title_short Stable dominance of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic sponges
title_sort stable dominance of parasitic dinoflagellates in antarctic sponges
topic Eukaryotic microbial communities
Dinoflagellates
Parasitism
Antarctic sponges
Syndiniales Dino-Group-I-Clade 1
Antarctica
url https://peerj.com/articles/18365.pdf
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