MINIREVIEW What we can learn from sushi: a review on seaweed–bacterial associations Joke Hollants1,2, Frederik Leliaert2, Olivier De Clerck2 & Anne Willems1 1Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; and 2Phycology Research Group, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium Correspondence: Joke Hollants, Ghent Abstract University, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology (WE10), Laboratory of Many eukaryotes are closely associated with bacteria which enable them to Microbiology, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, expand their physiological capacities. Associations between algae (photosyn- B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. thetic eukaryotes) and bacteria have been described for over a hundred years. Tel.: +32 9 264 5140; fax: +32 9 264 5092; A wide range of beneficial and detrimental interactions exists between macroal- e-mail:
[email protected] gae (seaweeds) and epi- and endosymbiotic bacteria that reside either on the surface or within the algal cells. While it has been shown that these chemically Received 6 April 2012; revised 27 June 2012; accepted 3 July 2012. mediated interactions are based on the exchange of nutrients, minerals, and secondary metabolites, the diversity and specificity of macroalgal–bacterial rela- DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01446.x tionships have not been thoroughly investigated. Some of these alliances have been found to be algal or bacterial species-specific, whereas others are wide- Editor: Lily Young spread among different symbiotic partners. Reviewing 161 macroalgal–bacterial studies from the last 55 years, a definite bacterial core community, consisting Keywords of Gammaproteobacteria, CFB group, Alphaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, and bacteria; diversity; interaction; macroalgae; Actinobacteria species, seems to exist which is specifically (functionally) symbiosis.