Coral holobiont engineering
Indirect selection of beneficial microorganisms as probiotics to enhance coral thermal tolerance
2021-2024: Research Staff Division / Stabsabteilung Forschung JLU
Ph.D. Stipend of Erik Francesco Ferrara, M.Sc.
Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on Earth at both, the macro- and the microbial scale. Stony corals are so-called holobionts, in which the coral animal hosts photosynthetic algal symbionts and many other microorganisms, including bacteria on its surfaces and in its tissues. These coral-associated bacteria have been highlighted to contribute to the metabolism of the holobiont and they may contribute to its tolerance against environmental stress.
Stony corals are threatened by climate change that severely affects the health and function of the reef ecosystem, leading to mass coral bleaching events. In addition, the rate at which the oceans warm up and the frequency of marine heat waves are too high for corals to genetically adapt, in part due to their relatively long generation times. Therefore, exploring different interventions, such as human-assisted evolution, is essential to augment coral stress tolerance in the light of a rapidly changing climate. My Ph.D. project aims to explore the development of probiotics from the bacterial communities of heat-resistant corals to increase the heat stress tolerance of heat-sensitive corals. I will investigate this approach within and across species boundaries and test its application in adult and juvenile corals in the reef.