Seagrass ecosystems reduce exposure to bacterial pathogens of humans, fishes, and invertebrates.

Autor: Lamb JB; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. joleah.lamb@cornell.edu., van de Water JA; Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.; Department of Marine Biology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Monaco., Bourne DG; Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.; College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia., Altier C; Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA., Hein MY; College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia., Fiorenza EA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA., Abu N; Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia., Jompa J; Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia., Harvell CD; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Science (New York, N.Y.) [Science] 2017 Feb 17; Vol. 355 (6326), pp. 731-733.
DOI: 10.1126/science.aal1956
Abstrakt: Plants are important in urban environments for removing pathogens and improving water quality. Seagrass meadows are the most widespread coastal ecosystem on the planet. Although these plants are known to be associated with natural biocide production, they have not been evaluated for their ability to remove microbiological contamination. Using amplicon sequencing of the 16 S ribosomal RNA gene, we found that when seagrass meadows are present, there was a 50% reduction in the relative abundance of potential bacterial pathogens capable of causing disease in humans and marine organisms. Moreover, field surveys of more than 8000 reef-building corals located adjacent to seagrass meadows showed twofold reductions in disease levels compared to corals at paired sites without adjacent seagrass meadows. These results highlight the importance of seagrass ecosystems to the health of humans and other organisms.
(Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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