Dynamics of the Coral Microbiome and Its Link to Climate Change

Abstract

AbstractCoral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Due to climate change and several anthropogenic activities such as overfishing, coral mining, waste disposal, marine pollution, etc., corals have been greatly affected. Corals are sessile animals that are in multipartite symbiosis with various microbes, forming the basic framework for the reef ecosystem. Microbes are considered a crucial part of the marine ecosystem as they play a key role in ecological functions, primary productivity, nutrient cycling, and producing chemical defense to protect hosts from invading microbes, etc. Coral microbiome investigations are gaining focus in recent years by incorporating various conventional and high-throughput sequencing technologies for determining the diversity of bacteria present in corals concerning their genera, location, health status, etc., as their diversity tends to be both static as well as dynamic in nature.KeywordsCoral ecosystemHolobiontClimate changeResponseCoral reef management