Hidden interactions in the intertidal rocky shore: variation in pedal mucus microbiota among marine grazers that feed on epilithic biofilm communities

dc.contributor.authorArboleda-Baena, Clara
dc.contributor.authorPareja, Claudia Belen
dc.contributor.authorPla, Isadora
dc.contributor.authorLogares, Ramiro
dc.contributor.authorDe la Iglesia, Rodrigo
dc.contributor.authorNavarrete, Sergio Andres
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-20T21:01:48Z
dc.date.available2025-01-20T21:01:48Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractIn marine ecosystems, most invertebrates possess diverse microbiomes on their external surfaces, such as those found in the pedal mucus of grazing gastropods and chitons that aids displacement on different surfaces. The microbes are then transported around and placed in contact with free-living microbial communities of micro and other macro -organisms, potentially exchanging species and homogenizing microbial composition and structure among grazer hosts. Here, we characterize the microbiota of the pedal mucus of five distantly related mollusk grazers, quantify differences in microbial community structure, mucus protein and carbohydrate content, and, through a simple laboratory experiment, assess their effects on integrated measures of biofilm abundance. Over 665 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) were found across grazers, with significant differences in abundance and composition among grazer species and epilithic biofilms. The pulmonate limpet Siphonaria lessonii and the periwinkle Echinolittorina peruviana shared similar microbiota. The microbiota of the chiton Chiton granosus, keyhole limpet Fissurella crassa, and scurrinid limpet Scurria araucana differed markedly from one another, and form those of the pulmonate limpet and periwinkle. Flavobacteriaceae (Bacteroidia) and Colwelliaceae (Gammaproteobacteria) were the most common among microbial taxa. Microbial strict specialists were found in only one grazer species. The pedal mucus pH was similar among grazers, but carbohydrate and protein concentrations differed significantly. Yet, differences in mucus composition were not reflected in microbial community structure. Only the pedal mucus of F. crassa and S. lessonii negatively affected the abundance of photosynthetic microorganisms in the biofilm, demonstrating the specificity of the pedal mucus effects on biofilm communities. Thus, the pedal mucus microbiota are distinct among grazer hosts and can affect and interact non-trophically with the epilithic biofilms on which grazers feed, potentially leading to microbial community coalescence mediated by grazer movement. Further studies are needed to unravel the myriad of non-trophic interactions and their reciprocal impacts between macro-and microbial communities.
dc.fuente.origenWOS
dc.identifier.doi10.7717/peerj.13642
dc.identifier.issn2167-8359
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13642
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/92957
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:000869942400004
dc.language.isoen
dc.revistaPeerj
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectMollusk
dc.subjectGrazers
dc.subjectEpilithic biofilm
dc.subjectIntertidal
dc.subjectPedal mucus microbiota
dc.subject.ods15 Life on Land
dc.subject.ods14 Life Below Water
dc.subject.ods13 Climate Action
dc.subject.odspa15 Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
dc.subject.odspa14 Vida submarina
dc.subject.odspa13 Acción por el clima
dc.titleHidden interactions in the intertidal rocky shore: variation in pedal mucus microbiota among marine grazers that feed on epilithic biofilm communities
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen10
sipa.indexWOS
sipa.trazabilidadWOS;2025-01-12
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