Marine Animal Microbiomes: Toward Understanding Host–Microbiome Interactions in a Changing Ocean

Abstract

All animals on Earth form associations with microorganisms, including protists, bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses. In the ocean, animal-microbial relationships have historically been explored in single host-symbiont systems. However, new explorations into the diversity of microorganisms associating with diverse marine animal hosts is moving the field into studies that address interactions between the animal host and a more diverse microbiome. The potential for microbiomes to influence the health, physiology, behavior and ecology of marine animals could alter current understandings of how marine animals adapt to change, and especially the growing climate-related and anthropogenic-induced changes already impacting the ocean environment. This review explores the nature of marine animal-microbiome relationships and interactions, and possible factors that may shift associations from symbiotic to dissociated states. I present a brief review of current microbiome research and opportunities, using examples of select marine animals that span diverse phyla within the Animalia, including systems that are more and less developed for symbiosis research, including two represented in my own research program. Lastly, I consider challenges and emerging solutions for moving these and other study systems into a more detailed understanding of host-microbiome interactions within a changing ocean.