http://coralhealth.spatial.hawaii.edu/health.html
Reef forming corals provide habitat for highly diverse and productive communities of organisms throughout the world's tropical and subtropical oceans. Corals are invertebrate animals related to jellyfish and sea anemones. Inside a coral is a consortium of algae, bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi all living in a dynamic equilibrium with the coral that acts as a host to them (1,2). These coral-microorganism communities all work together as a functional symbiosis called the "˜coral holobiont' (3,4). The coral holobiont is responsible for the trophic and structural foundation of coral reef ecosystems (5). It is because of the mutualistic symbiosis between corals and photosynthetic dinoflagellates, which fix large quantities of carbon dioxide, coral reefs are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet.
For my level of understanding, a functional symbiosis indicates a complex process that indicate more than indigenous and random bacteria. In the next article that I link there is a communication process between diverse bacteria in the community that provides a healthy balance in the population as needs arise. Quorum sensing within this bacteria community provides for cellular communication which controls symbiosis of bacteria and microorganisms within and on the coral. It sounds like the BORG to me.
Patrick
http://www.consiliencejournal.org/index.php/consilience/article/viewFile/363/194
first paragraph
The coral reefs are declining in vitality and quantity in all
parts of the world. Microbiomes exist symbiotically on the
individual coral polyps. With this understanding comes the
idea that microbiomes may coordinate survival through their
inhabiting microbe colonies in order to sustain the life of the
coral polyps. Of particular interest is quorum sensing, a form
of bacterial communication known to coordinate gene
expression in density-dependent bacteria. The importance of
understanding the symbiotic relationship between microbes'
use of quorum sensing and the coral it inhabits may offer
insight in how microbiological colonies promote reef health
and how external toxins alter these molecular processes.
last paragraph
These environmental threats are damaging to reef health since they
not only decrease the biodiversity of the reefs and aquatic organisms that
surround reefs by directly damaging the biodiversity, but they also interfere
with the symbiosis of the bacteria/microorganisms on the coral which
interferes with proper cellular communication, thus also negatively impacting
the reefs. They kill the diversity of bacteria, which means that there are not
the proper concentrations, density, and diversity of species to promote
proper gene expression for quorum sensing. Since they cannot use this
mechanism and give off their beneficial byproducts because they do not
facilitate mechanisms associated with quorum sensing, the reefs suffer. When
the microbial processes within coral are decimated due to environmental
threats, their use of quorum sensing seizes, thereby decreasing the overall
biodiversity within the reef. The importance of understanding the role of
bacterial cell communication in coral reef habitats may lead to ways of
understanding the role it plays in life and may lead researchers to ideas
relating to sustaining their life given the inevitable variables threatening their
survival. Temperature, pollutants, and human direct and indirect contact
create a response in the coral by decimating their bacterial cell
communication system and therefore decreasing the overall biodiversity of
the coral reefs. In order to provide solutions on how to sustain the coral
reefs through the coming climate change, one must understand their microbe
colonies and their use of quorum sensing. Once scientists and experts have
an idea about how quorum sensing and microbe colonies work with coral,
ideas such as density manipulation in microbes facilitating quorum sensing
may restore balance and overall reef health and prevent coral disease in at
risk areas.
Most of the research I found was related to declining reefs with a focus on global warming because that is where the research grants are. Feldman's group is one of the few scientific papers focused on these same bacteria communities within our captive ecosystems. In light of these articles, loss of diversity in bacteria populations has serious consequences. With certain reef keeping methods like ULNS that experience unexplained crashes, the underlying cause could easily be explained by loss of these diverse bacteria populations.
I live and learn.
Patrick
