317
© Springer International Publishing AG 2017
M. Kumar, P. Ralph (eds.), Systems Biology of Marine Ecosystems,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-62094-7_16
Chapter 16
Role of Bacteria in Coral Ecosystem
Neha P. Patel, Sweta B. Kumar, and S. Haldar
Abstract Coral reefs are the most diverse and valuable of all marine ecosystems on
earth. This ecosystem is often called the rainforests of the sea due to its diversity. It
provides enormous benefits to the human and its surrounding community. But the
increase in industrialization, urbanization, and mechanization has led to the decline
in coral health which ultimately affects the productivity and sustainability of the
reef ecosystem. Thus, there is an increasing interest in the field of coral ecology in
the last few decades driven by the desire to understand the biology of coral animal
for its protection. Remarkable progress has been made in understanding the coral
holobiont of the reef ecosystem. The role of dinoflagellate in coral holobiont has
been studied very well, but the role of coral-associated bacteria in holobiont is not
clearly understood in spite many scientific studies. Bacterial diversity associated
with coral holobionts is known to act both as drivers and indicators of disturbances
in the coral reef ecosystem due to their short generation time. Conversely, to the
health benefits the bacteria provide to the coral host, certain bacteria in conditions
of environmental stress cause coral bleaching and other diseases. Thus, understanding the bacteriology of coral holobiont may help in preventing the worldwide
destruction of coral reefs. Moreover, these studies may lead to the discovery of
novel product with commercial importance. For this reason, the chapter aims to
review the abundance and diversity of bacteria associated with healthy and diseased
corals and their role in coral health. We are also discussing the recent technologies
used in the study of coral-associated bacterial diversity and their role in structuring
coral ecosystem.
Keywords Coral bacteriology • Coral bleaching • Dinoflagellates • Holobiont •
DGGE • qPCR
N.P. Patel • S.B. Kumar • S. Haldar (*)
Marine Biotechnology and Ecology Division, CSIR- Central Salt and Marine,
Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), Gijubhai Badheka Marg,
Bhavnagar 364002, Gujarat, India
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-Central Salt and Marine
Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR), Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar 364002, Gujarat, India
e-mail: shaldar@csmcri.res.in
© Springer International Publishing AG 2017
M. Kumar, P. Ralph (eds.), Systems Biology of Marine Ecosystems,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-62094-7_16
Chapter 16
Role of Bacteria in Coral Ecosystem
Neha P. Patel, Sweta B. Kumar, and S. Haldar
Abstract Coral reefs are the most diverse and valuable of all marine ecosystems on
earth. This ecosystem is often called the rainforests of the sea due to its diversity. It
provides enormous benefits to the human and its surrounding community. But the
increase in industrialization, urbanization, and mechanization has led to the decline
in coral health which ultimately affects the productivity and sustainability of the
reef ecosystem. Thus, there is an increasing interest in the field of coral ecology in
the last few decades driven by the desire to understand the biology of coral animal
for its protection. Remarkable progress has been made in understanding the coral
holobiont of the reef ecosystem. The role of dinoflagellate in coral holobiont has
been studied very well, but the role of coral-associated bacteria in holobiont is not
clearly understood in spite many scientific studies. Bacterial diversity associated
with coral holobionts is known to act both as drivers and indicators of disturbances
in the coral reef ecosystem due to their short generation time. Conversely, to the
health benefits the bacteria provide to the coral host, certain bacteria in conditions
of environmental stress cause coral bleaching and other diseases. Thus, understanding the bacteriology of coral holobiont may help in preventing the worldwide
destruction of coral reefs. Moreover, these studies may lead to the discovery of
novel product with commercial importance. For this reason, the chapter aims to
review the abundance and diversity of bacteria associated with healthy and diseased
corals and their role in coral health. We are also discussing the recent technologies
used in the study of coral-associated bacterial diversity and their role in structuring
coral ecosystem.
Keywords Coral bacteriology • Coral bleaching • Dinoflagellates • Holobiont •
DGGE • qPCR
N.P. Patel • S.B. Kumar • S. Haldar (*)
Marine Biotechnology and Ecology Division, CSIR- Central Salt and Marine,
Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), Gijubhai Badheka Marg,
Bhavnagar 364002, Gujarat, India
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-Central Salt and Marine
Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR), Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar 364002, Gujarat, India
e-mail: shaldar@csmcri.res.in