PMID- 11225720
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20010322
LR  - 20191104
IS  - 1462-2912 (Print)
IS  - 1462-2912 (Linking)
VI  - 3
IP  - 1
DP  - 2001 Jan
TI  - The effects of copper on the microbial community of a coral reef sponge.
PG  - 19-31
AB  - Marine sponges often harbour communities of symbiotic microorganisms that fulfil 
      necessary functions for the well-being of their hosts. Microbial communities 
      associated with the sponge Rhopaloeides odorabile were used as bioindicators for 
      sublethal cupric ion (Cu2+) stress. A combined strategy incorporating molecular, 
      cultivation and electron microscopy techniques was adopted to monitor changes in 
      microbial diversity. The total density of sponge-associated bacteria and counts 
      of the predominant cultivated symbiont (alpha-proteobacterium strain NW001) were 
      significantly reduced in response to Cu2+ concentrations of 1.7 microg l(-1) and 
      above after 14 days of exposure. The number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) 
      detected by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) decreased by 64% in 
      sponges exposed to 223 microg l(-1) Cu2+ for 48 h and by 46% in sponges exposed 
      to 19.4 microg l(-1) Cu2+ for 14 days. Electron microscopy was used to identify 
      17 predominant bacterial morphotypes, composing 47% of the total observed cells 
      in control sponges. A reduction in the proportion of these morphotypes to 25% of 
      observed cells was evident in sponges exposed to a Cu2+ concentration of 19.4 
      microg l(-1). Although the abundance of most morphotypes decreased under Cu2+ 
      stress, three morphotypes were not reduced in numbers and a single morpho-type 
      actually increased in abundance. Bacterial numbers, as detected using 
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), decreased significantly after 48 h 
      exposure to 19.4 microg l(-1) Cu2+. Archaea, which are normally prolific in R. 
      odorabile, were not detected after exposure to a Cu2+ concentration of 19.4 
      microg l(-1) for 14 days, indicating that many of the microorganisms associated 
      with R. odorabile are sensitive to free copper. Sponges exposed to a Cu2+ 
      concentration of 223 microg l(-1) became highly necrosed after 48 h and 
      accumulated 142 +/- 18 mg kg(-1) copper, whereas sponges exposed to 19.4 microg 
      l(-1) Cu2+ accumulated 306 +/- 15 mg kg(-1) copper after 14 days without 
      apoptosis or mortality. Not only do sponges have potential for monitoring 
      elevated concentrations of heavy metals but also examining changes in their 
      microbial symbionts is a novel and sensitive bioindicator for the assessment of 
      pollution on important microbial communities.
FAU - Webster, N S
AU  - Webster NS
AD  - Australian Institute of Marine Science, Department of Microbiology, James Cook 
      University, Townsville, Queensland.
FAU - Webb, R I
AU  - Webb RI
FAU - Ridd, M J
AU  - Ridd MJ
FAU - Hill, R T
AU  - Hill RT
FAU - Negri, A P
AU  - Negri AP
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - Environ Microbiol
JT  - Environmental microbiology
JID - 100883692
RN  - 0 (RNA, Bacterial)
RN  - 0 (RNA, Ribosomal, 16S)
RN  - 789U1901C5 (Copper)
SB  - IM
MH  - Alphaproteobacteria/*growth & development/metabolism/ultrastructure
MH  - Animals
MH  - Archaea/*growth & development/metabolism/ultrastructure
MH  - Cnidaria/*microbiology
MH  - Copper/*metabolism
MH  - Ecosystem
MH  - Environmental Monitoring
MH  - In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
MH  - Microscopy, Electron
MH  - Phylogeny
MH  - Polymerase Chain Reaction
MH  - Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
MH  - Porifera/*microbiology
MH  - RNA, Bacterial/analysis
MH  - RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/analysis
EDAT- 2001/02/28 10:00
MHDA- 2001/03/27 10:01
CRDT- 2001/02/28 10:00
PHST- 2001/02/28 10:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2001/03/27 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 2001/02/28 10:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1046/j.1462-2920.2001.00155.x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Environ Microbiol. 2001 Jan;3(1):19-31. doi: 10.1046/j.1462-2920.2001.00155.x.