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Settlement Behavior of Acropora Palmata Planulae: Effects of Biofilm Age and Crustose Coralline Algal Cover

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Settlement Behavior of Acropora Palmata Planulae: Effects of Biofilm Age and Crustose Coralline Algal Cover Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 7-11 July 2008 Session number 24 Settlement behavior of Acropora palmata planulae: Effects of biofilm age and crustose coralline algal cover P.M. Erwin, B. Song, A.M. Szmant UNC Wilmington, Center for Marine Science, 5600 Marvin K. Moss Ln, Wilmington, NC 28409, USA Abstract. The role of crustose coralline algae (CCA) and bacterial biofilms in the settlement induction of Acropora palmata larvae was tested with ceramic tiles conditioned in reef waters for different time periods. Larval settlement varied among tiles by conditioning time (P<0.001), with low settlement (11%) on unconditioned tiles and high settlement (72-87%) on tiles conditioned for 2, 8 and 9 weeks. Tile surface texture and orientation also affected settlement (P<0.001). Larvae of A. palmata preferred the undersides of tiles as conditioned in the field (78% of total settlement), compared to upper surfaces (8%) or Petri dish surfaces (14%). CCA cover increased with conditioning time (P<0.001) and differed by tile orientation (P<0.005), revealing a positive correlation between settlement and CCA cover on tile bottoms, but not tile tops. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of 16S rRNA genes revealed that biofilm age, tile surface and tile orientation affected microbial community structure. Further, biofilms that induced settlement were characterized by bacterial populations distinct from non-inductive biofilm communities. Thus, we present additional evidence of the involvement of CCA and bacterial biofilm communities in the process of coral larval settlement, suggesting that complex interactions among multiple cues are involved in larval settlement choices. Key words: Acropora, settlement cues, microbial community, T-RFLP, crustose coralline algae Introduction (CCA) or microbes growing on the substrate. Scleractinian corals are the foundational organisms Chemical extracts from certain species of CCA have that provide coral reefs with the habitat complexity been demonstrated to induce coral settlement more that makes them amongst the most biologically strongly than others, indicating preference and diverse of marine ecosystems. For coral reefs to form, specificity for cues associated with those species many species of corals must dominate the reef (Morse et al. 1988, 1996; Morse and Morse 1991, substrate and occupy space over long evolutionary Heyward and Negri 1999, Harrington et al. 2004). time periods. This must involve both long-lived adult However, settlement experiments conducted on corals and persistent high rates of coral recruitment Montastraea faveolata and Acropora palmata success on new substrates following disturbances. revealed that most larvae settled near, rather than on, Coral recruitment begins with the attachment of a CCA patches (Szmant and Miller 2005). A more coral planula larva to reef substrate and is successful recent, detailed study found that over 80% of the when the environment into which the larva settles larvae from these coral species attached onto supports its long term survivorship. Conditions microbial films (Nugues and Szmant in prep.), favoring coral recruitment success include low suggesting that microbial communities may be competition with faster growing algae and encrusting responsible for generating the settlement signal. invertebrates, promoted by high rates of grazing Indeed, studies have demonstrated the induction of (Hughes 1994; Carpenter 1997; Hixon 1997; Birrell et larval settlement by bacteria, including a cultured al. 2005). However, coral larvae are structurally isolate from CCA (Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain A3, simple and have limited ability to sense the Negri et al. 2001) and diverse, naturally-occurring environment, except through chemosensory means. reef biofilm communities (Webster et al. 2004). The current view of coral settlement is that when Determining the settlement cues of coral larvae is competent planulae explore the reef substrate, contact crucial to reef conservation and restoration efforts, with certain chemical cues triggers them to stop allowing for the identification and targeted swimming, attach to the substrate and develop into preservation of high recruitment reef niches, as well the primary polyp (reviewed in Harrison and Wallace as, the direct application of replicated cues to coral 1990). These cues are thought to be chemicals nursery programs requiring induction of larval associated with or secreted by crustose coralline algae metamorphosis under laboratory conditions. 1219 In this study, we used an experimental approach determine the effects of conditioning time, tile texture similar to that described by Webster et al. (2004) to and tile orientation on larval settlement using determine the role of CCA and microbial biofilms in SigmaPlot 11.0 and Statistica (1998 version). larval settlement induction. New substrates (ceramic tiles) were ‘conditioned’ in seawater to develop Crustose coralline algae quantification natural reef biofilms. The complexity of biotic Digital photographs were processed using ImageJ communities that develop on new substrates increases software (NIH). Quantification of CCA was only with field conditioning time, as does their possible on glazed tile surfaces, where contrast was attractiveness to coral larvae (Webster et al. 2004). high between CCA patches and the tile background. Tiles were aged from 0 to 9 weeks in a back reef Photographs were cropped to fit the tile surface, CCA lagoon and used in settlement bioassays. Terminal patches were defined as regions of interest, and black restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) and white mask images were created. CCA cover was analysis, a popular culture-independent microbial calculated by measuring the dark area of the mask profiling technique (Schütte et al. 2008), was used to images. A 2-way ANOVA was run to determine the characterize the community structure of microbial effects of conditioning time and tile orientation on biofilms. We present here the correlations between CCA cover. Linear regression analyses were settlement of the larvae of the Caribbean reef coral, A. performed to compare CCA cover and larval palmata, and these microbial signatures, as well as, settlement rates on each tile face (SigmaPlot 11.0). the amount of CCA colonizing the tiles. DNA extraction and amplification Material and Methods Community DNA was extracted from biofilm swabs preserved in RNAlater (Ambion) using the Settlement tiles: orientation and texture PUREGENE kit (Gentra Systems) and purified using Ceramic tiles (high-fired clay, Daltile®) attached to the Wizard DNA Clean-Up System (Promega). plastic racks on cement blocks were pre-conditioned Universal bacterial primers 8F-FAM (Reysenbach et in the field at 4 m for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9 weeks. Tiles al 1994) and 1522R (Martinez-Marcia et al 1995) consisted of a glazed, flat surface and an unglazed, were used for amplification of partial 16S rRNA dimpled surface. For each time point, 24 tiles were sequences. Total PCR reaction volume was 50 μl, deployed glazed-side up and 24 glazed-side down. including 15 pmol of the forward primer, 10 pmol of Thus, there were 4 possible combinations of tile the reverse primer, 25 μl GoTaq® Mastermix surface texture and orientation during field (Promega) and 2 μl DNA template. Thermocycler conditioning. Tiles were collected simultaneously in conditions consisted of an initial denaturing time of 5 individual bags the day settlement experiments were min at 85 °C, then 35 cycles of 0.75 min at 94 °C, 1 conducted. Control tiles were soaked in 5μm filtered min at 55 °C, and 1.5 min at 72 °C, with a final seawater (FSW) overnight. extension time of 10 min at 72 °C. For each sample, PCR products from 3 separate reactions were Gamete collection and larval rearing combined and gel-purified using the Wizard SV Gel Gamete bundles were released by A. palmata colonies Clean-Up System (Promega). PCR products were during the night of September 1, 2007. Spawn from quantified using the Quant-iT Qubit® kit (Invitrogen). multiple colonies were collected, cross-fertilized and reared to the planulae stage (Szmant and Miller 2005). Restriction enzyme digestion and T-RFLP analysis Approximately 100 ng of purified PCR products were Settlement assay digested with the restriction endonucleases HaeIII and Large Petri dishes (150 mm x 25 mm) were filled MspI. Total reaction volumes for HaeIII digests was with 200 mL FSW at 29 °C and one tile of each 20 μl, including 17.3 μl PCR product, 0.2 μl BSA, 2 orientation – glazed-side up and glazed-side down, as μl Buffer C and 0.5 μl enzyme (Promega). Total oriented in the field – were added to each dish. reaction volume for MspI digests was 20 μl, including Twenty competent A. palmata larvae were added to 17.3 μl PCR product, 0.2 μl BSA, 2 μl NEBuffer 2 each dish, with 5 replicate dishes per time treatment. and 0.5 μl enzyme (New England Biolabs). All After 48 hours, settled larvae were enumerated on digests were incubated at 37 °C for 12 hours. each tile using a dissecting microscope. Following Immediately following digestion, samples were settlement counts, digital photographs were taken of precipitated with 75% isopropanol and dried each tile face and sterile cotton swabs were used to (SpeedVac, LabConco). To each sample, 10 μl sample biofilm communities. Paired T-tests, a 2-way formamide and 0.5 μl ROX size standard (PE Applied ANOVA and a nested ANOVA (tile texture and tile Biosystems) were added. Samples were denatured at orientation nested with conditioning time) were run to 94 °C for 2 min and immediately cooled on ice for 2 1220 min. Samples were analyzed on an automated Within conditioning treatments, settlement rates sequencer (ABI377) with the program GeneScan (PE were significantly affected by tile orientation Applied Biosystems). The length of individual (P<0.05) and tile surface (P<0.05). Total settlement fluorescently-labeled terminal-restriction fragments of A. palmata larvae showed a clear preference for tile (T-RFs) was determined by comparison with bottoms (78%) compared to tile tops (8%), as oriented TAMRA size standards (Genescan™).
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