The Octocoral Holobiont: From Symbiotic Functioning to Climate Change Responses.gal ecosystems.

durch Prof. Tina Keller-Costa

Donnerstag 04.12.2025, 13:00 → 14:30 Europe/Berlin

5-1.213 - PAZIFIK / PACIFIC- Rechte Seite - Großer, unterteilbarer Konferenzraum (GEOMAR - Standort Ostufer / GEOMAR - East Shore)

Abstract: Octocorals are vital components of marine biomes, acting as both indicators and architects of shifting ocean ecosystems. Local and regional patterns of octocoral expansion and mortality are still poorly understood, but microbial interactions likely play a role by mediating their ecological resilience to environmental stress. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the current state of octocoral microbiome research, highlighting functional signatures of health and disease and specialized lineages of Endozoicomonadaceae symbionts. Using heterologous expression strategies, I will demonstrate how key metabolic enzymes, such as chitinases from these uncultivable symbionts, can be harnessed, and discuss future research directions for understanding marine chitin cycling at a global scale. I will also show how fungi become virulent pathogens under ocean warming and outline approaches to address the octocoral pathobiome and develop microbiome-engineering strategies.