Spatial and temporal analysis of bacterial diversity associated with the Mediterranean gorgonian Paramuricea clavata
Résumé
We combined terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and clone library analyses to investigate the diversity and the spatio-temporal changes of bacterial assemblages associated with the gorgonian Paramuricea clavata. We found a clear difference between the bacterial communities during winter and summer while T-RFLP profiles were highly similar between P. clavata populations separated by hundreds of kilometres. Sequencing data from 16S rDNA clone libraries demonstrated the presence of distinct phylogenetic taxa during summer and winter, with an increased diversity in the warm season. In the context of recurrent gorgonian diseases and mortalities, this picture of the structure of bacterial communities will be helpful to monitor the effects of thermal anomalies on the resident microbial flora.