Microbial abundance in the coelenteron and mucus of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa and in bottom water of the reef environment

Abstract

Microorganisms play an important role in coral ecology; however, little is known about cold-water coral (CWC) reefs. Microbial abundance in bottom water of Lophelia pertusadominated CWC reefs in the Skagerrak, North Sea, was elevated by ca. 40% for prokaryotes and 70 to 90% for viruses compared to bottom water where no corals were present. This indicates that CWCs influence the microbial food web in bottom water. Furthermore, results suggest that microorganisms contributed significantly to the stock of organic nitrogen (13%) and organic phosphorus (32%) in bottom water. Prokaryotic abundances in the coelenteron of freshly collected corals were (2.0 ± 0.2) × 107 cells ml-l and viral abundances were (4.0 ± 0.6) × 107 particles ml-l. Prokaryotic abundances in coral mucus were (7.5 ± 0.7) × 107 cells ml-l and viral abundances were (1.7 ± 0.3) × 108 particles ml-l. Onboard incubations with elevated prokaryotic and viral abundances in the incubation water indicated that (1) corals accumulate microorganisms in the coelenteron as a potential food source and (2) control mechanisms exist for the abundance of prokaryotic cells and viral particles in the mucus. Our data suggest that L. pertusa controls microbial biomass in the CWC reef environment and coral microhabitats. © Inter-Research 2012.