Microbiome analysis of the deep sea stalked barnacle, Neolepas marisindica in Central Indian Ridge

Abstract

All animals on Earth form associations with microorganisms, including protists, bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses. In the ocean, marine animal– microbial relationships has not been studied much like as terrestrial animals. The potential for microbiomes to influence the health, physiology, behavior, and ecology of marine animals could alter current understandings of how marine animals adapt to change, and especially the growing climate-related and anthropogenic-induced changes already impacting the ocean environment. This new stalked barnacle, Neolepas marisindica, is morphologically distinct from the Pacific dwelling N. zevinae and N. rapanuii and was recently classified as follows: Arthropoda; Crustacea; Hexanauplia; Scalpellomorpha; Eolepadidae; Neolepas. We analyzed the microorganism composition of N. marisindica collected from Solitaire and the Onnuri Vent Field on the Central Indian Ridge in expedition of the research vessel ISABU (RV ISABU). The first results were shown in this presentation to understand ‘ who inside’ using the targeted small subunit (SSU) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. The further investigation combined with function gene expression study of N. marisindica is undergoing to explain the key of metabolism of living, the features of hydrothermal vent animals with genes function analysis and also the information about host and symbiont coadaptation and evolutionary process. This research was a part of the project titled 'Understanding the deepsea biosphere on seafloor hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ridge(No.20170411)' funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea.