The Seasonal Microbiome Structure and Tissue Specificity in the Red Marine Macroalgae Asparagopsis Taxiformis

The red macroalgae Asparagopsis taxiformis is a typical invasive marine seaweed, first reported on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline 20 years ago. Today, A. taxiformis is well established in the rocky northern Israeli coastline, and it is highly abundant throughout the year. In recent years, A. taxiformis has gained much attention attributed to its potent activity, which diverse applications are already implemented in industry. Moreover, recent studies have shown a definite connection between the associated microbiome and the host morphology and ecology. This study aims to uncover the diversity of the epiphyte microbiome of A. taxiformis on a seasonal basis, as well as differences associated with specializing alga tissue. Using next-generation sequencing, we analyse both the prokaryote and the eukaryote communities in A. taxiformis determining the core and the periodic populations. The examination of the prokaryotic species revealed a significant correlation between the associated bacterial community to the different tissues of the algae and we expect similar findings regarding the eukaryotic species. This research will advance our understanding of the seasonal impact on the community variability and tissue specific of the A. taxiformis microbiome.