Functional dynamics of skeletal microbiota in healthy and bleached corals

人们对栖息在珊瑚骨架上的微生物区系知之甚少，但有几个证据来源指出了它们在珊瑚礁中的重要性。特别是在珊瑚漂白期间，骨骼微生物群发生了剧烈的变化，对全息生物既有潜在的有利影响，也有不利的影响。这个项目将描述骨骼微生物区系的功能，微生物群落是如何沿着物理化学梯度构建的，以及微生物基因表达如何通过珊瑚漂白而变化。这将使人们更好地了解骨骼微生物群在全息珊瑚中的作用，漂白过程中骨骼中发生的过程，以及骨骼微生物群在漂白珊瑚命运中可能发挥的作用。

Little is known about the microbiota inhabiting coral skeletons, but several sources of evidence point to their importance in the coral holobiont. Particularly during coral bleaching, drastic changes happen in the skeletal microbiome, with potential beneficial as well as detrimental effects on the holobiont. This project will characterise the functions of skeletal microbiota, how microbial communities are structured along physico-chemical gradients, and how microbial gene expression changes through coral bleaching. This will lead to better insights into the roles of skeletal microbiota in the holobiont, the processes occurring in the skeleton during bleaching, and the role that skeletal microbiota may play in the fate of bleached corals.