An Assessment of the Microbial Diversity Associated with Selected Caribbean Corals Coral reefs occur along one-sixth of the world's coastlines and are the most biologically diverse shallow water marine ecosystem, supporting numerous animal and plant species. Unfortunately, these ecosystems are being degraded worldwide due to infectious disease, human activities, and climate change. Poorly studied members of this rapidly deteriorating ecosystem are the Bacteria and Archaea. Although recent studies have made progress toward our understanding of coral-associated microbial communities, there are substantial areas that have not been explored. Since these coral reef ecosystems are at risk, it is important to assess microbial biodiversity before habitat destruction worsens. Their two key objectives for the NSF Biodiversity Survey and Inventories proposal are to (1) survey microbial diversity associated with three different coral species collected from two sites in the Caribbean, and (2) disseminate this information in an online database while promoting education and training of students and junior personnel. Samples of coral mucus, coral tissue, and background seawater will be analyzed to distinguish the microbial communities uniquely associated with each sample type. They will take both a culture-dependent and a culture-independent approach to the survey. Carbon source utilization patterns and DNA fingerprinting approaches (e.g., denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, 16S rDNA cloning) will be used to characterize whole communities. Microbial isolates will be characterized in terms of cell morphology and motility, growth characteristics, antibiotic resistance patterns, production of cell-signaling molecules, and phylogeny. The data obtained will be channeled into a public, online database that will be developed by all members of the research team for the purposes of disseminating and sharing of information regarding coral microbial communities among the broader scientific community. Educational opportunities at the high school, undergraduate (through two NSF undergraduate research programs), graduate, and postdoctoral levels will be incorporated into each stage of the proposed project. All members of the research team will work cooperatively in a very dynamic setting to both collect and evaluate the data, as well as contribute to website development and database design. They will also develop a special topics course to be offered each summer of the proposed project entitled "Coral Biology: The Complex Role of Microorganisms in Coral Health and Disease." The proposed work will foster collaboration between two US-based educational institutions (Medical Univ. of South Carolina, Univ. of South Carolina-Aiken,), The Institute for Genomic Research (TGIR), and an international organization, the Colombian Institute for Marine and Coastal Research (INVEMAR).
