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Coral–algy -55al interfaces are hotspots of biogeochemical activity, yet the structure and functional roles of sediment microbiomes associated with these habitats remain poorly resolved, particularly in the environmentally extreme northern Red Sea. This study characterizes how microbial community composition and functional potential vary with coral–algal proximity across three coastal sites (Alshreah, Saweehal, Marwan Cave). Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was performed on 18 sediment samples collected from two contrasting habitats at each site: (i) far-from-algae zones (≥500 m) and (ii) close-to-algae zones (≤10 m). Across all locations, eight dominant bacterial species structured the sediment microbiome, including Shewanella algae, Arenibacter algicola, Vibrio algicola, Zobellia alginiliquefaciens , and Prochlorococcus marinus . Species-level patterns showed strong spatial heterogeneity, with Marwan Cave consistently dominated by S. algae , while other sites exhibited clear habitat-dependent shifts. A. algicola and S. algae were more abundant near coral–algal habitats, whereas V. algicola was more prevalent in distant sediments. Further analysis indicated that both geographic location and algal proximity contributed to community structuring, with proximity effects most apparent at Alshreah and Saweehal. Functional profiles revealed clear habitat partitioning. Close-to-algae sediments were enriched in genes for chemotaxis, glycerol transport, and anaerobic metabolism, indicative of bacterial exploitation of algal exudates and low-oxygen microzones, while far-from-algae sediments showed higher representation of ABC transport systems, amino-acid metabolism, and stress-response pathways, reflecting nutrient-limited and more environmentally variable conditions. Overall, proximity to coral–algal assemblages emerged as a major ecological gradient shaping both the taxonomic and functional attributes of Red Sea sediment microbiomes, operating alongside strong site-level environmental differences. These findings highlight the biogeochemical influence of benthic algae and provide baseline insights into microbial processes that may reinforce coral–algal regime shifts in warming reef systems.

Bacteria associated with the marine macroalga Laminaria saccharina , collected from the Kiel Fjord (Baltic Sea, Germany), were isolated and tested for antimicrobial activity. From a total of 210 isolates, 103 strains inhibited the growth of at least one microorganism from the test panel including Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as a yeast. Most common profiles were the inhibition of Bacillus subtilis only (30%), B. subtilis and Staphylococcus lentus (25%), and B. subtilis , S. lentus , and Candida albicans (11%). In summary, the antibiotic-active isolates covered 15 different activity patterns suggesting various modes of action. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities >99%, 45 phylotypes were defined, which were classified into 21 genera belonging to Alphaproteobacteria , Betaproteobacteria , Gammaproteobacteria , Bacteroidetes , Firmicutes , and Actinobacteria . Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that four isolates possibly represent novel species or even genera. In conclusion, L. saccharina represents a promising source for the isolation of new bacterial taxa and antimicrobially active bacteria.

Quorum sensing (QS) systems play important roles in regulating many physiological functions of microorganisms, such as biofilm formation, bioluminescence, and antibiotic production. One marine algicidal bacterium, Ponticoccus sp. PD-2, was isolated from the microalga Prorocentrum donghaiense , and its N -acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL)-mediated QS system was verified. In this study, we analyzed the AHLs profile of strain PD-2. Two AHLs, 3-oxo-C8-HSL and 3-oxo-C10-HSL, were detected using a biosensor overlay assay and GC–MS methods. Two complete AHL-QS systems (designated zlaI / R and zlbI / R ) were identified in the genome of strain PD-2. When expressed in Escherichia coli , both zlaI and zlbI genes could each produce 3-oxo-C8-HSL and 3-oxo-C10-HSL. Algicidal activity was investigated by evaluating the inhibitory rate (IR) of microalgae growth by measuring the fluorescence of viable cells. We found that the metabolites of strain PD-2 had algicidal activity against its host P. donghaiense (IR 84.81%) and two other red tide microalgae, Phaeocystis globosa (IR 78.91%) and Alexandrium tamarense (IR 67.14%). β-cyclodextrin which binds to AHLs and inhibits the QS system reduced the algicidal activity more than 50%. This indicates that inhibiting the QS system may affect the algicidal metabolites production of strain PD-2. Our study indicated that a QS-regulated algicidal system may play a potential role in the process of red tides disintegration. QS might be a potential way to control red tides.

Interactions between algae and bacteria represent an important inter-organism association in aquatic environments, which often have cascading bottom-up influences on ecosystem-scale processes. Despite the increasing recognition of linkages between bacterioplankton and dynamics of dinoflagellate blooms in the field, knowledge about the forms and functions of dinoflagellate-bacteria associations remains elusive, mainly due to the ephemeral and variable conditions in the field. In this study, we characterized the bacterial community associated with laboratory cultures of 144 harmful algal strains, including 130 dinoflagellates (covering all major taxonomic orders of dinoflagellates) and 14 non-dinoflagellates, via high-throughput sequencing for 16S rRNA gene amplicons. A total of 4577 features belonging to bacteria kingdom comprising of 24 phyla, 55 classes, 134 orders, 273 families, 716 genera, and 1104 species were recovered from the algal culture collection, and 3 phyla (Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes) were universally present in all the culture samples. Bacterial communities in dinoflagellates cultures exhibited remarkable conservation across different algal strains, which were dominated by a relatively small number of taxa, most notably the γ-proteobacteria Methylophaga, Marinobacter and Alteromonas. Although the bacterial community composition between dinoflagellates and non-dinoflagellate groups did not show significant difference in general, dinoflagellates harbored a large number of unique features (up to 3811) with relatively low individual abundance and enriched in the potential methylotrophs Methylophaga. While the bacterial assemblages associated with thecate and athecate dinoflagellates displayed no general difference in species composition and functional groups, athecate dinoflagellates appeared to accommodate more aerobic cellulolytic members of Actinobacteria, implying a more possible reliance on cellulose utilization as energy source. The extensive co-occurrence discovered here implied that the relationships between these algal species and the bacterial consortia could be viewed as either bilaterally beneficial (i.e., mutualism) or unilaterally beneficial at least to one party but virtually harmless to the other party (i.e., commensalism), whereas both scenarios support a long-term and stable co-existence rather than an exclusion of one or the other. Our results demonstrated that dinoflagellates-associated bacterial communities were similar in composition, with enrichment of potential uncultured methylotrophs to one-carbon compounds. This work enriches the knowledge about the fundamental functions of bacteria consortia associated with the phycospheres of dinoflagellates and other HABs-forming microalgae.

In recent years microalgae products have developed increasing market demand, but sustainable industrial production is still challenged by biological stability of large-scale production plants. Yet the relationships between algal hosts, associated microbiomes, and contaminants in photobioreactors remains widely understudied. The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal development of microbiomes of four freshwater microalgae species Scenedesmus vacuolatus, Desmodesmus quadricauda, Chlorella sorokiniana, and Botryococcus braunii, in presence and absence of the zoosporic parasite Amoeboaphelidium protococcarum. To compare the effects of sterile and nonsterile culture conditions, infection experiments were performed in sterile laboratory (sterile) and simulated industrial conditions (open). Algal growth (dry weight, optical density, and nutrient consumption) was observed for 21 days, and samples of the associated microbiome were collected for bacterial 16S rRNA gene Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Infection patterns of A. protococcarum were algae species-specific, irrespectively of culture conditions. Bacterial community analysis demonstrated distinct and stable bacterial communities for each algae species, which were mostly dominated by α- and γ-Proteobacteria. Upon aphelid parasitosis, bacterial diversity increased, and community compositions diverged algae-specific over time. Moreover, bacterial functional traits shifted to detoxification, degradation, and cellulolysis once algae were infected. This study provides a first insight into the close connection between algae, associated bacterial microbiomes and appearing contaminants in photobioreactor systems.

The unarmored dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea is a cosmopolitan harmful algal species known for forming intense blooms leading to mass mortality of fish, shellfish, and seabirds. Globally distributed populations of A. sanguinea have been classified into four ribotypes based on their characteristic sequences in LSU rRNA gene and primary geographic distributions. In this study, we compared the bacterial communities co-existing with the six strains of A. sanguinea from China and the USA (belonging to two ribotypes) using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. Generally, a bacterial microbiome with high diversity was found to be associated with laboratory-cultured A. sanguinea strains from different geographic origins. Based on ribotype classification, the six samples were divided into two groups (ribotype A: AsCHINA; ribotype C: AsUSA) for subsequent comparative analyses of their bacterial communities. Beta diversity analysis revealed a clear separation between the two groups, reflecting significant differences in bacterial community composition between the two ribotypes. Significantly higher abundance of nitrogen-fixing bacteria was found in the AsUSA group, suggesting that ribotype C may benefit from external nitrogen sources provided by their bacterial associates. If this also holds true in natural environments, this nitrogen-fixing partnership likely confers a competitive advantage to ribotype C in oligotrophic offshore waters, and potentially extends bloom duration when environmental nitrogen is depleted. Our study raised the possibility that different ribotypes of A. sanguinea may harbor distinct prokaryotic microbiomes in their phycospheres under stable cultivation conditions. Further comprehensive comparison among more isolates across all four ribotypes is highly necessary to validate this hypothesis.