naa a22 4500 510746713 CHVBK 20180411083049.0 cr unu---uuuuu 180411e20130101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s13199-012-0204-0 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s13199-012-0204-0 Small core communities and high variability in bacteria associated with the introduced ascidian Styela plicata [Elektronische Daten] [Patrick Erwin, M. Carmen Pineda, Nicole Webster, Xavier Turon, Susanna López-Legentil] The solitary ascidian Styela plicata is an introduced species in harbors of temperate and tropical oceans around the world. The invasive potential of this species has been studied through reproductive biology and population genetics but no study has yet examined the microbial diversity associated with this ascidian and its potential role in host ecology and invasiveness. Here, we used 16S rRNA gene tag pyrosequencing and transmission electron microscopy to characterize the abundance, diversity and host-specificity of bacteria associated with 3 Mediterranean individuals of S. plicata. Microscopy revealed low bacterial abundance in the inner tunic and their absence from gonad tissues, while pyrosequencing revealed a high diversity of S. plicata-associated bacteria (284 OTUs from 16 microbial phyla) in the inner tunic. The core symbiont community was small and consisted of 16 OTUs present in all S. plicata hosts. This core community included a recently described ascidian symbiont (Hasllibacter halocynthiae) and several known sponge and coral symbionts, including a strictly anaerobic Chloroflexi lineage. Most recovered bacterial OTUs (79.6%) were present in single S. plicata individuals and statistical analyses of genetic diversity and community structure confirmed high variability of bacterial communities among host individuals. These results suggest that diverse and variable bacterial communities inhabit the tunic of S. plicata, including environmental and host-associated bacterial lineages that appear to be re-established each host generation. We hypothesize that bacterial communities in S. plicata are dynamic and have the potential to aid host acclimation to new habitats by establishing relationships with beneficial, locally sourced bacteria. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2012 Bacteria nationallicence Ascidian nationallicence Introduced species nationallicence Pyrosequencing nationallicence Electron microscopy nationallicence Invasive potential nationallicence Erwin Patrick Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal Avenue 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain aut Carmen Pineda M. Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal Avenue 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain aut Webster Nicole Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville Mail Centre, 4810, Queensland, Australia aut Turon Xavier Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés Cala S. Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Girona, Spain aut López-Legentil Susanna Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal Avenue 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain aut Symbiosis Springer Netherlands 59/1(2013-01-01), 35-46 0334-5114 59:1<35 2013 59 13199 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-012-0204-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-012-0204-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Erwin Patrick Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal Avenue 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Carmen Pineda M. Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal Avenue 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Webster Nicole Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville Mail Centre, 4810, Queensland, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Turon Xavier Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés Cala S. Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Girona, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- López-Legentil Susanna Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal Avenue 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Symbiosis Springer Netherlands 59/1(2013-01-01), 35-46 0334-5114 59:1<35 2013 59 13199 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer