Characterizing the diversity of the eukaryotic microbiome in marine crustacean zooplankton.
Abstract
Understanding zooplankton productivity is critical for modeling marine food web function, of which one poorly known factor is the influence of zooplankton symbionts. Zooplankton protist symbiont diversity is underestimated due to the limited surveys and techniques previously used. Using 18S V4 metabarcoding, I characterized the eukaryotic microbiomes associated with crustacean zooplankton from the northern Strait of Georgia, BC. Apostome ciliates were most abundant in all hosts except for cyclopoid copepods, which were dominated by Syndiniales. Most symbiont lineages were more abundant in one or two hosts, suggesting some degree of host preference. Microbiome data also provided information on diet, confirming increased diatom consumption during spring in calanoid copepods and consumption of crustaceans by Cyphocaris and Corycaeus. These data also suggest that zooplankton feed on siphonophores, a previously unrecognized interaction with the Cnidaria. My work contributes to resolving the interactions between zooplankton and alveolate symbionts, and the host-specificity of potential parasites.