High occurrence of viruses in the mucus layer of scleractinian corals Nguyen-Kim H. auteur aut IRD Bouvier T. auteur aut IRD Bouvier C. auteur aut IRD Hai D. N. auteur aut IRD Lam N. N. auteur aut IRD Rochelle Newall Emma auteur aut IRD Baudoux A. C. auteur aut IRD Desnues C. auteur aut IRD Reynaud S. auteur aut IRD Ferrier-Pages C. auteur aut IRD Bettarel Yvan auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Viruses attract increasing interest from environmental microbiologists seeking to understand their function and role in coral health. However, little is known about their main ecological traits within the coral holobiont. In this study, a quantitative and qualitative characterization of viral and bacterial communities was conducted on the mucus of seven different coral species of the Van Phong Bay (Vietnam). On average, the concentrations of viruses and bacteria were, respectively, 17- and twofold higher in the mucus than in the surrounding water. The examination of bacterial community composition also showed remarkable differences between mucus and water samples. The percentage of active respiring cells was nearly threefold higher in mucus (m=24.8%) than in water (m=8.6%). Interestingly, a positive and highly significant correlation was observed between the proportion of active cells and viral abundance in the mucus, suggesting that the metabolism of the bacterial associates is probably a strong determinant of the distribution of viruses within the coral holobiont. Overall, coral mucus, given its unique physicochemical characteristics and sticking properties, can be regarded as a highly selective biotope for abundant, diversified and specialized symbiotic microbial and viral organisms. specialized VIETNAM 036 034 Environmental Microbiology Reports 6 6 675-682 2014 1758-2229 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010063117 10.1111/1758-2229.12185 1758-2229 [F B010063117] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010063117 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2015/01/010063117.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2015-02-02 2017-08-23 fdi:010063117 fre