A microbial candidate which induce the jellyfish metamorphosis

Abstract

We generated the microbiota dynamics in the KIOST marine animal culture facility in Geoje to estimate bacterial candidate which is involved in the jellyfish metamorphosis. An annual change in the bacterial community in the seawater was investigated by pyrosequencing analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA. Five Class, Caldilineae, Lentisphaeria, Planctomycetia, Thermotogae, Verrucomicrobiae, and Cytophagia were focused since they showed a high abundance in June when the jellyfish (Sanderia malayensis) polyp start to metamorphose. The comparative microbiota analysis among the seawater, jellyfish polyp, and jellyfish ephyra, showed that five families, Rubritaleaceae, Alteromonadaceae, Rickettsiaceae, Saporspiraceae, and Alcanivoracaceae were only appeared in the ephyra. Nine species, Lentisphaera profundi, Rubritalea tangerine, Limisphaera ngatamarikiensis, Blastopirellula cremea, Mariniblastus fucicola, Bythopirellula goksoyri, Rubinisphaera italica, Gimesia maris, and Bremerella volcania were found after species-level investigation of the above five families. Finally, Rubritalea tangerina was chosen as a strong candidate for a inducer of the jellyfish metamorphosis since it showed the highest abundance (10.78%) in the ephyra compare to other species.