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Microbiome dysbiosis and decreased survival in coral larvae exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of nanoplastics and sulfamethoxazole
Summary
Researchers exposed coral larvae to nanoplastics and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole at environmentally relevant concentrations and found significantly reduced survival, tissue damage, and disrupted bacterial symbiont communities. The study suggests that co-exposure to these pollutants causes more severe harm than either alone, potentially threatening coral reef recovery by impairing larval health and microbial nutrient cycling.
Scleractinian corals are increasingly threatened by environmental contaminants such as nanoplastics (NPs) and antibiotics. The early life stages of corals are particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors, yet their impacts under environmentally relevant concentrations remain poorly understood. Here, we exposed Pocillopora damicornis larvae to NPs (100 μg/L) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX, 0.1 μg/L) for 48 h to assess their effects on larval survival, settlement, tissue structure, and bacterial symbionts. Exposure to NPs and SMX significantly reduced larval survival, caused tissue necrosis and mesenterial filament dissociation, and altered the composition of bacterial symbionts, such as a decrease in Pseudoalteromonas abundance. Compared to the single exposure group, co-exposure to NPs and SMX induced more severe tissue damage and broader functional shifts in microbial communities, including elevated methylotrophy, photoheterotrophy, photoautotrophy, and reduced anaerobic respiration. These findings suggest that coral larvae are highly sensitive to NPs and SMX, which can alter bacterial symbiont community to disturb nutrient cycling and energy metabolism, cause tissue damage, and ultimately impair larval survival, thereby threatening coral reef replenishment and recovery.
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