Coral microbiomes, probiotics, and their implications for disease susceptibility in Montserrat, West Indies
Faculty Mentor
Jenifer Walke
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-14-2026 2:00 PM
End Date
4-14-2026 4:00 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Biology
Abstract
Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is on its way to becoming one of the most devastating coral disease outbreaks ever recorded, yet the pathogens causing it are still unknown. Coral mucus plays an important role in coral health as it provides a thick layer between the coral tissue and the water environment. Coral mucus hosts microbial communities that are key to its health and survival. Their microbiome provides heat and oxidative stress tolerance, disease resistance, and contributes to carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling, and thus probiotic bacteria are being considered to broadly confer these benefits to coral hosts. However, little is known about variation in natural microbiomes and the prevalence and abundance of candidate probiotics within them. My study will evaluate the natural prevalence and abundance of a bacterium that has promising probiotic potential, Pseudoalteromonas sp. McH1-7 strain, in Montserrat, a small island in the Caribbean that has been heavily affected by volcanism. We will scuba dive to collect coral mucus samples from 19 coral hosts across 8 species and 4 sites around Montserrat. We will use 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize bacterial communities across host species and sites, and to quantify the local prevalence and abundance of Pseudoalteromonas sp. McH1-7 strain. Our results will contribute to the development of probiotic therapy to treat and prevent coral disease and conserve the biodiversity of these important organisms and their ecosystems
Recommended Citation
Bartholomew, Emma, "Coral microbiomes, probiotics, and their implications for disease susceptibility in Montserrat, West Indies" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 23.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/ps_2026/p3_2026/23
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Coral microbiomes, probiotics, and their implications for disease susceptibility in Montserrat, West Indies
PUB NCR
Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is on its way to becoming one of the most devastating coral disease outbreaks ever recorded, yet the pathogens causing it are still unknown. Coral mucus plays an important role in coral health as it provides a thick layer between the coral tissue and the water environment. Coral mucus hosts microbial communities that are key to its health and survival. Their microbiome provides heat and oxidative stress tolerance, disease resistance, and contributes to carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling, and thus probiotic bacteria are being considered to broadly confer these benefits to coral hosts. However, little is known about variation in natural microbiomes and the prevalence and abundance of candidate probiotics within them. My study will evaluate the natural prevalence and abundance of a bacterium that has promising probiotic potential, Pseudoalteromonas sp. McH1-7 strain, in Montserrat, a small island in the Caribbean that has been heavily affected by volcanism. We will scuba dive to collect coral mucus samples from 19 coral hosts across 8 species and 4 sites around Montserrat. We will use 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize bacterial communities across host species and sites, and to quantify the local prevalence and abundance of Pseudoalteromonas sp. McH1-7 strain. Our results will contribute to the development of probiotic therapy to treat and prevent coral disease and conserve the biodiversity of these important organisms and their ecosystems
