Effect of marine heatwaves and warming on kelp microbiota influence trophic interactions

The range‐expansion of tropical herbivores due to ocean warming can profoundly alter temperate reef communities by overgrazing the seaweed forests that underpin them. Such ecological interactions may be mediated by changes to seaweed‐associated microbiota in response to warming, but empirical eviden...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular ecology 2024-03, Vol.33 (5), p.e17267-n/a
Main Authors: Castro, Louise C., Vergés, Adriana, Straub, Sandra C., Campbell, Alexandra H., Coleman, Melinda A., Wernberg, Thomas, Steinberg, Peter, Thomas, Torsten, Dworjanyn, Symon, Cetina‐Heredia, Paulina, Roughan, Moninya, Marzinelli, Ezequiel M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Bleaching
Chemical defense
Climate Change
Consumption
Ecklonia
Ecklonia radiata
Ecosystem
Herbivores
High temperature
Kelp - physiology
macroalgae
microbiome
Microbiota
Microorganisms
Ocean temperature
Ocean warming
Oceans
Oceans and Seas
Phenols
Sargassum linearifolium
Seaweed
Seaweeds
Temperature
Trophic relationships
tropicalisation
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The range‐expansion of tropical herbivores due to ocean warming can profoundly alter temperate reef communities by overgrazing the seaweed forests that underpin them. Such ecological interactions may be mediated by changes to seaweed‐associated microbiota in response to warming, but empirical evidence demonstrating this is rare. We experimentally simulated ocean warming and marine heatwaves (MHWs) to quantify effects on two dominant temperate seaweed species and their microbiota, as well as grazing by a tropical herbivore. The kelp Ecklonia radiata's microbiota in sustained warming and MHW treatments was enriched with microorganisms associated with seaweed disease and tissue degradation. In contrast, the fucoid Sargassum linearifolium's microbiota was unaffected by temperature. Consumption by the tropical sea‐urchin Tripneustes gratilla was greater on Ecklonia where the microbiota had been altered by higher temperatures, while Sargassum's consumption was unaffected. Elemental traits (carbon, nitrogen), chemical defences (phenolics) and tissue bleaching of both seaweeds were generally unaffected by temperature. Effects of warming and MHWs on seaweed holobionts (host plus its microbiota) are likely species‐specific. The effect of increased temperature on Ecklonia's microbiota and subsequent increased consumption suggest that changes to kelp microbiota may underpin kelp‐herbivore interactions, providing novel insights into potential mechanisms driving change in species' interactions in warming oceans.
ISSN:0962-1083
1365-294X
DOI:10.1111/mec.17267