马氏珠母贝肠道及其养殖水体可培养细菌群落结构

【目的】了解马氏珠母贝(Pinctada fucata martensii)肠道及其养殖水体可培养细菌的群落组成。【方法】采用2216E平板涂布法研究海区养殖马氏珠母贝肠道与养殖水体的可培养菌群种类及丰度。【结果与结论】马氏珠母贝肠道及其养殖水体的可培养细菌归属于2门(变形菌门和厚壁菌门)3纲7目10科23属56种。属水平上,肠道中以弧菌属(74.7%)和假交替单胞菌属(18.7%)为主;养殖水体中α-变形菌纲的FJ943236_g属(40.7%)丰度最大,弧菌属(16.7%)相对肠道丰度较低。样品共有菌属为弧菌属、假交替单胞菌属、发光杆菌属和芽孢杆菌属;肠道特有菌属为希瓦氏菌属和盐单胞菌属;养殖水体特有菌属主要为FJ943236_g、鲁杰氏菌属和Nautella。在种水平上,7个种为二者共有;马氏珠母贝肠道和养殖水体特异性菌种分别为18个和31个。虽然门水平上马氏珠母贝肠道中可培养细菌群落与其养殖水体中的细菌群落大致相似,但在属、种水平上二者差异明显。     

Phylogenetic diversity of culturable bacteria in surface seawater from the Drake Passage,Antarctica

The Drake Passage is located between the Antarctic Peninsula and Tierra del Fuego in the south of South America. Surface seawater samples were collected at seven sites in the Drake Passage during the austral summer of 2012. The 16S rRNA sequences were analyzed from 187 isolated bacterial strains. Three phyla, 29 genera and 56 species were identified. The three phyla were Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria; the Proteobacteria included α-Proteobacteria, β-Proteobacteria and γ-Proteobacteria. γ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant class or phyla in terms of quantity and species. Gram-positive bacteria (Actinobacteria and Firmicutes) accounted for 57.8% of all types identified. There were nine dominant genera, including Curtobacterium, Staphylococcus, and Halomonas, and 14 dominant species including Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens, Curtobacterium pusillum, and Staphylococcus sciuri. Of the strains identified, 87.2% were catalase positive or weakly positive.     

Contribution of trimethylamine N-oxide on the growth and pressure tolerance of deep-sea bacteria

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is widely dispersed in marine environments and plays an important role in the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen. Diverse marine bacteria utilize TMAO as carbon and nitrogen sources or as electron acceptor in anaerobic respiration. Alteration of respiratory component according to the pressure is a common trait of deep-sea bacteria. Deep-sea bacteria from different genera harbor high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) inducible TMAO reductases that are assumed to be constitutively expressed in the deep-sea piezosphere and facilitating quick reaction to TMAO released from fish which is a potential nutrient for bacterial growth. However, whether deep-sea bacteria universally employ this strategy remains unknown. In this study, 237 bacterial strains affiliated to 23 genera of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were isolated from seawater, sediment or amphipods collected at different depths. The pressure tolerance and the utilization of TMAO were examined in 74 strains. The results demonstrated no apparent correlation between the depth where the bacteria inhabit and their pressure tolerance, regarding to our samples. Several deep-sea strains from the genera of Alteromonas, Halomonas, Marinobacter, Photobacterium, and Vibrio showed capacity of TMAO utilization, but none of the isolated Acinebacter, Bacillus, Brevundimonas, Muricauda, Novosphingobium, Rheinheimera, Sphingobium and Stenotrophomonas did, indicating the utilization of TMAO is a species-specific feature. Furthermore, we noticed that the ability of TMAO utilization varied among strains of the same species. TMAO has greater impact on the growth of deep-sea isolates of Vibrio neocaledonicus than shallow-water isolates. Taken together, the results describe for the first time the TMAO utilization in deep-sea bacterial strains, and expand our understanding of the physiological characteristic of marine bacteria.

     

Comparative analysis on microbial community associated with different gastrointestinal regions of wild northern snakehead Channa argus Cantor, 1842

Microbial communities in different gastrointestinal regions(stomach, foregut, midgut, and hindgut) of the northern snakehead C hanna argus(Cantor, 1842) were compared by polymerase chain reaction and partial 16 S r DNA sequencing. A total of 194, 140, 212, and 122 OTUs were detected in the stomach, foregut, midgut, and hindgut, respectively. Significant dif ferences were found in the Sobs, ACE, Shannon, and Simpson indices among samples(P 0.05). The gastrointestinal microbial community of C. argus consisted predominantly of Proteobacteria with either H alomonas, Shewanella, Plesiomonas, or Sphingomonas. Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes also existed in the gastrointestinal tracts. However, significant diff erences were found in the compositions of microbial community among the four regions( P 0.05). Cyanobacteria and Spirochetes were significantly higher in the midgut and hindgut( P 0.05). Fusobacteria and Firmicutes were dominant in the hindgut and foregut, respectively(P 0.05). Proteobacteria was the lowest in the hindgut( P 0.05). At genus level, C etobacterium and Plesiomonas were significantly higher in the hindgut than in the other three samples( P 0.05). Clostridium and Prevotella were the highest in the midgut(P 0.05). Halomonas, Shewanella, and S phingomonas were the highest in the foregut( P 0.05). Paracoccus and Vibrio were the highest in the stomach. Several genera were only detected in certain regions, as follows: stomach, P aracoccus and Vibrio; foregut, Halomonas, Shewanella, and Sphingomonas; midgut, Clostridium and Prevotella; and hindgut, C etobacterium and Plesiomonas( P 0.05). At the species level, A cinetobacter rhizosphaerae was only detected in the stomach. P revotella copri and Clostridium perfring were not detected in the foregut and midgut, respectively, whereas Prevotella copri and Faecalibacterium pra were not detected in the hindgut. These findings provide valuable information on the microbial community in each gastrointestinal region of C. argus. Moreover, this study indicated that microbial community was not only related to rearing environment but also to the physico-chemical characteristics of each gastrointestinal region.     

The Effect of Organic Carbon on Soil Bacterial Diversity in an Antarctic Lake Region

This study assessed the effects of changes in organic carbon content on soil bacterial community composition and diversity in the Antarctic Fildes Peninsula. 16 S rRNA gene sequencing was performed to investigate bacterial community composition. Firstly, we found that organic carbon(OrC) and nutrients showed an increasing trend in the lake area. Secondly, soil geochemistry changes affected microbial composition in the soil. Specifically, we found 3416 operational taxonomical units(OTUs) in 300 genera in five main phyla: Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes. Although the diversity was similar among the four sites, the composition was different. Among them, Hungateii content changed very significantly, from 16.67% to 33.33%. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that most measured geochemical factors were relevant in structuring microbiomes, and organic carbon concentration showed the highest correlation, followed by NO_(3-)~-N. Hungateii was significantly correlated with the content of organic carbon. Our finding suggested organic carbon played an important role in soil bacterial communities of the Antarctic coastal lake region.     

Characterization of Bioaerosol Bacterial Communities During Hazy and Foggy Weather in Qingdao,China

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of hazy and foggy weather on the bacterial communities in bioaerosols, for which samples were collected from the Qingdao coastal region on sunny, foggy, and hazy days in January and March 2013. Bacterial community compositions were determined using polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCRDGGE). The bacterial community diversity was found to be high on foggy and hazy days, and the dominant species differed during hazy weather. The Shannon-Wiener index revealed that the bacterial community diversity of coarse particles was higher than that of fine particles in the bioaerosols. The bacterial community diversity of fine particles significantly correlated with relative humidity (RH; r² = 0.986). The cluster analysis results indicated that the bacterial communities on sunny days differed from those on hazy and foggy days. Compared with sunny days, the bacterial communities in the fine particles during hazy weather exhibited greater changes than those in the coarse particles. Most of the sequenced bacteria were found to be closely affiliated with uncultured bacteria. During hazy weather, members of the classes Bacilli and Gammaproteobacteria (Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter) were dominant. The DGGE analysis revealed that Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the predominant phyla, and their relative percentages to all the measured species changed significantly on hazy days, particularly in the fine particles. Haze and fog had a significant impact on the bacterial communities in bioaerosols, and the bacterial community diversity varied on different hazy days.     

Analysis of cultivable aerobic bacterial community composition and screening for facultative sulfate-reducing bacteria in marine corrosive steel

Anaerobic, aerobic, and facultative bacteria are all present in corrosive environments. However,as previous studies to address corrosion in the marine environment have largely focused on anaerobic bacteria, limited attention has been paid to the composition and function of aerobic and facultative bacteria in this process. For analysis in this study, ten samples were collected from rust layers on steel plates that had been immersed in seawater for dif ferent periods(i.e., six months and eight years) at Sanya and Xiamen,China. The cultivable aerobic bacterial community structure as well as the number of sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB) were analyzed in both cases, while the proportion of facultative SRB among the isolated aerobic bacteria in each sample was also evaluated using a novel approach. Bacterial abundance results show that the proportions are related to sea location and immersion time; abundances of culturable aerobic bacteria(CAB) and SRB from Sanya were greater in most corrosion samples than those from Xiamen,and abundances of both bacterial groups were greater in samples immersed for six months than for eight years. A total of 213 isolates were obtained from all samples in terms of CAB community composition,and a phylogenetic analysis revealed that the taxa comprised four phyla and 31 genera. Bacterial species composition is related to marine location; the results show that Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla, accounting for 98.13% of the total, while Bacillus and Vibrio were the dominant genera,accounting for 53.06% of the total. An additional six facultative SRB strains were also screened from the isolates obtained and were found to encompass the genus Vibrio(four strains), Staphylococcus(one strain),and Photobacterium(one strain). It is noteworthy that mentions of Photobacterium species have so far been absent from the literature, both in terms of its membership of the SRB group and its relationship to corrosion.     

Characterization of dominant and cellulolytic bacterial communities along the gut of silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix during cyanobacterial blooms

Silver carp is one of the most important planktivorous fish in Chinese aquaculture and plays a significant role controlling cyanobacterial blooms. A balanced gut microbiota is crucial for growth and health of the host because of its important roles in immune defense, digestion of complex carbohydrates, and production of enterocytes. In our study, the dominant bacterial and cellulolytic bacterial( Clostridium I, Clostridium III, Clostridium XIVab, and Fibrobacter) communities in the contents and mucus of the silver carp gut(foregut, midgut, and hindgut) were analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction(q PCR) analyses. The results revealed that the dominant and cellulolytic bacterial communities were significantly different among gut regions as well as in contents and mucus. Bacterial diversity and richness in contents and mucus increased along the gut and were higher in contents than those in local mucus. A sequence analysis of gut samples exhibited the conservative phylotypes of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes. The gut of silver carp harbored an abundance of cellulolytic bacteria, particularly Clostridium XIV ab. The foregut segment had the highest proportions of the four cellulolytic bacteria, followed by the midgut and hindgut. However, the proportions of cellulolytic species in the silver carp gut was much lower than those in the terrestrial vertebrate gastrointestinal tract. We conclude that gut bacteria could help silver carp obtain energy from cyanobacteria, which may be why silver carp can maintain high growth rates during cyanobacterial blooms.     

具有多种胞外酶的对虾肠道黏附菌的分离和鉴定

用对虾饲料培养基从健康凡纳滨对虾肠道分离出500株黏附细菌,以产淀粉酶、脂肪酶和蛋白酶能力为指标,筛选出产该3种消化酶的细菌90株,占总菌株的18%.对其中生长较快的69株进行16S rDNA 基因测序,确定其分类地位.结果显示,69株菌分别属于不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter)、芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)、葡萄球菌属(Staphylococcus)、假交替单胞菌属(Pseudoalteromonas)、气单胞菌属(Aeromonas)、嗜盐单胞菌属(Halomonas)、利斯顿氏菌属(Listonella)、莫拉氏菌属(Moraxella)等,其中数量最多是芽胞杆菌属,占鉴定细菌总数的53.62%,数量最少是气单胞菌属和嗜盐单胞菌属,均占鉴定细菌总数的2.90%.表明对虾肠道黏附菌群中具有较多能分泌多种消化酶的细菌,可进一步开发为促进对虾消化功能的益生菌     

Bacteriological Analysis of the Digestive Tube of the Mud Snail (Bullacta exarata Philippi) and Its Rearing Shoal

The bacterial flora in the digestive tube of Bullacta exarata Philippi and its rearing shoal were investigated. A to-tal of 157 strains of heterotrophic bacteria, isolated from crop, stomach intestine and other parts of the digestive tube,mainly belong to the genera Photobacterium, Bacillus, Pseudomonas Vibrio and some genera of the family Enterobacteri-aceae. There are significantly more varieties of bacteria in crop than in stomach and intestine. A total of 173 strains of bacte-ria were isolated from the rearing shoal, belonging to 13 genera. The 5 predominant genera, such as Bacillus and Photobac-terium, are the same as those in the digestive tube, but greatly differ in percentages. The number of heterotrophic bacteriaand Vibrio in rearing shoal change in line with the alteration of the temperature, and are significantly affected by the use ofpesticides.     

Microbial diversity in the sediments of the southern Mariana Trench

Microbial diversity in the abyssal sediments beneath the seafloor of 30, 94, and 151 cm near the southern end of the Mariana Trench was analyzed in the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. Results show that the microbial populations were dominated by bacteria but merely no archaea were identified at the three depths. In the bacterial community,Proteobacteria and Firmicutes dominated the total taxon tags, followed by Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria, and Chloroflexi, which together account for over 99% of the total population. Similar to that in the seawater in the trench, the operational taxonomic units(OTUs) belonging to Gammaproteobacteria from the sediment samples showed high abundance.However, common bacterial OTUs in the water of the trench including Nitrospirae and Marinimicrobia were hardly found in the sediments from the southern Mariana Trench or the hadal region. Therefore, this study documented for the first time the compositions of microbial diversity in the trench sediments, revealed the difference in microbial diversity in water and sediment of the trench and will enrich the knowledge on the microbial diversity in the abyssal areas.     

Spatiotemporal pattern of bacterioplankton in Donghu Lake

Bacterioplankton play key roles in the biogeochemical cycle and in organic contaminant degradation. The species richness and abundance of bacterial subgroups are generally distinct from each other, and this is attributed to their different functions in aquatic ecosystems. The spatiotemporal variations of eight phylogenetic subgroups （Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Planctomycetes, alpha-, beta-, and gamma-Proteobacteria） derived from Donghu Lake were investigated using PCR-DGGE fingerprinting, to explore their responses to environmental factors. Results indicate that Actinobacteria and beta-Proteobacteria were the two largest bacterial subgroups detected. These two groups and Bacteroidetes showed clear seasonal patterns in composition of the operational taxonomic unit. Results also suggest that the bacterioplankton subgroups in Donghu Lake were significantly correlated with different environmental factors. In brief, the total nitrogen was one of the major factors regulating all the bacterioplankton except for Actinobacteria. However, total phosphorus, another important eutrophication factor, contributed to the two largest bacterial groups （Actinobacteria and beta-Proteobacteria）, as well as to the Cyanobacteria and Firmicutes. Therefore, the responses of bacterioplankton subgroups to environmental factors were different, and this should be attributed to the differences in the fimctions of different groups.     

Bacteriological analysis of the digestive tube of the mud snail (Bullacta exarata Philippi) and its rearing shoal

The bacterial flora in the digestive tube of Bullacta exarata Philippi and its rearing shoal were investigated. A total of 157 strains of heterotrophic bacteria, isolated from crop, stomach intestine and other parts of the digestive tube, mainly belong to the genera Photobacterium, Bacillus, Pseudomonas Vibrio and some genera of the family Enterobacteriaceae. There are significantly more varieties of bacteria in crop than in stomach and intestine. A total of 173 strains of bacteria were isolated from the rearing shoal, belonging to 13 genera. The 5 predominant genera, such as Bacillus and Photobacterium, are the same as those in the digestive tube, but greatly differ in percentages. The number of heterotrophic bacteria and Vibrio in rearing shoal change in line with the alteration of the temperature, and are significantly affected by the use of pesticides.     

Metagenomic approach revealed effects of forest thinning on bacterial communities in the forest soil of Mt. Janggunbong,South Korea

The soil microbiome that plays important ecological roles in mountains and forests is influenced by anthropogenic and natural causes. Human activity, particularly harvesting or thinning, affects the soil microbiome in forests by altering environmental conditions, such as vegetation, microclimate, and soil physicochemical properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on forest thinning on the diversity and composition of the soil bacterial community. From next-generation sequencing results of the 16S rRNA gene, we examined differences in soil bacterial diversity and community composition before and after thinning at Mt. Janggunbong, South Korea. We identified 40 phyla, 103 classes, 192 orders, 412 families, 947 genera, and 3,145 species from the soil samples. Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria were the most dominant bacterial phyla in the forest soil of Mt. Janggunbong. Soil bacterial diversity measures (richness, Shannon diversity index, and evenness) at the phylum level increased after thinning, whereas species-level taxonomic richness decreased after thinning. Thinning provided new opportunities for bacterial species in Chloroflexi, Verrucomicrobia, Nitrospirae, and other nondominant bacterial taxa, especially for those not found in Mt. Janggunbong before thinning, to settle and adapt to the changing environment. Our results suggested that thinning affected the diversity and composition of soil bacterial communities in forests and mountains.     

Pyrosequencing of nirS gene revealed spatial variation of denitrifying bacterial assemblages in response to wetland desertification at Tibet plateau

Amplicon sequencing of functional genes is a powerful technique to explore the diversity and abundance of microbes involved in biogeochemical processes. One such key process, denitrification, is of particular importance because it can transform nitrate(NO3-) to N2 gas that is released to the atmosphere. In nitrogen limited alpine wetlands, assessing bacterial denitrification under the stress of wetland desertification is fundamental to understand nutrients, especially nitrogen cycling in alpine wetlands, and thus imperative for the maintenance of healthy alpine wetland ecosystems. We applied amplicon sequencing of the nirS gene to analyze the response of denitrifying bacterial community to alpine wetland desertification in Zoige, China. Raw reads were processed for quality, translated with frameshift correction, and a total of 95,316 nirS gene sequences were used for rarefaction analysis, and 1011 OTUs were detected and used in downstream analysis. Compared to the pristine swamp soil, edaphic parameters including water content, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorous, available nitrogen, available phosphorous and potential denitrification rate were significantly decreased in the moderately degraded meadow soil and in severely degraded sandy soil. Diversity of the soil nirS-type denitrifying bacteria communities increased along the Zoige wetland desertification, and Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi were the dominant denitrifying bacterial species. Genus Cupriavidus(formerly Wautersia), Azoarcus, Azospira, Thiothrix, and Rhizobiales were significantly(P0.05) depleted along the wetland desertification succession. Soil available phosphorous was the key determinant of the composition of the nirS gene containing denitrifying bacterial communities. The proportion of depleted taxa increased along the desertification of the Zoige wetland, suggesting that wetland desertification created specific physicochemical conditions that decreased the microhabitats for bacterial denitrifiers and the denitrification related genetic diversity.     

Bacterial diversity, composition and temporal-spatial variation in the sediment of Jiaozhou Bay, China

Studies on the diversity and distribution of bacterial populations will improve the overall understanding of the global patterns of marine bacteria and help to comprehend local biochemical processes and environments. We evaluated the composition and the dynamics of bacterial communities in the sediment of Jiaozhou Bay (China) using PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Sediment samples were collected from 10 different sites in May, August, and November 2008 and in February 2009. There was significant temporal variation in bacterial community composition at all sites. However, the spatial variation was very small. The DGGE analyses of bacterial communities were used to divide the 10 stations into three types. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that the changes in bacterial communities were driven by sediment properties. Sequence analysis of DGGE band-derived 16S rRNA gene fragments revealed that the dominant bacterial groups in the sediment were of the classes γ-proteobacteria and δ-proteobacteria and phyla Bacteroidetes and Nitrospirae. Our results provide considerable insight into the bacterial community structure in Jiaozhou Bay, China.     

Microplastic pollution and enrichment of distinct microbiota in sediment of mangrove in Zhujiang River estuary,China

The microbial communities colonized on microplastics (MPs) have attracted widespread attention. However, few studies focused on the MPs impacts on mangrove ecosystems, particularly on bacterial communities. We investigated the MPs pollution in mangrove of Zhujiang (Pearl) River estuary (ZRE). To study the potential risk posed by MPs to the mangrove ecosystems, the differences in bacterial communities, functions, and complexity between MPs and sediment samples were reported for the first time. Microplastics (2 991±1 586 items/kg dry weight (dw)) in sediment were mainly fibers and polyethylene, mostly transparent, and in size less than 0.5 mm. Bacterial communities and functions significantly differed from MPs in mangrove sediment. Compared with sediment, MPs significantly enriched members of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria, as well as the bacteria associated with plastic-degrading and human diseases on their surface, suggesting that microbial communities on MPs may promote MPs degradation and the spread of diseases, posing potential risk to mangrove ecosystems and human health. Although bacteria on MPs exhibited a lower diversity, the co-occurrence network analysis indicated that network of bacteria colonized on MPs was bigger and more complex than those of mangrove sediment, illustrating that MPs can act as a distinct habitat in this special ecosystem. This study provides a new perspective for increasing our understanding of microplastic pollution in mangrove ecosystems.

     

Shifts of sediment bacterial community and respiration along a successional gradient in a typical karst plateau lake wetland(China)

Bacteria are important regulators of carbon cycling in lakes and are central to sediment ecosystem processes. However, the sediment microbial communities and their respiratory responses to the lake wetland succession are poorly understood. In this study, we collected sediment samples from four different succession points(the Potamogeton lucens zone, the Scirpus tabernaemontani zone, the Scirpus triqueter zone, and the Juncus effusus zone) in the Caohai Wetland of the Guizhou Plateau(China). The bacterial communities at these succession points were studied using a high-throughput sequencing approach. The sediment microbial respiration(SR) was measured using static chambers in the field and basal respiration(BR) was determined in the laboratory. The results show that the dominant bacterial taxa in the sediment was Proteobacteria(34.7%), Chloroflexi(17.8%), Bacteroidetes(7.3%), Acidobacteria(6.6%), and Cyanobacteria(6.1%). Principal coordinate analysis showed that the microbial community structure differs significantly at different sampling points along the successional gradient, indicating that the bacterial community structure is sensitive to the lake wetland succession. Different hydrological regimes and soil characteristics such as NH_4~+-N, Fe~(2+), Mn~(2+), and sediment organic carbon(SOC) content may be important factors responsible for the differences in the sediment microbial characteristics of the different successional stages in the Caohai wetland. Additionally, it was found that the SR increased significantly from the P. lucens zone to the J. effusus zone, but BR had the opposite response. The shifts in the bacterial community structure along the successional gradient may be the main reason for the observed differences in sediment respiration.     

Comparison of intestinal microbiota and activities of digestive and immune-related enzymes of sea cucumber A postichopus japonicus in two habitats

Sea cucumber A postichopus japonicus stock enhancement by releasing hatchery-produced seeds is a management tool used to recover its population under natural environmental conditions. To assess the suitability of releasing sites, we examined the microbiota of the gut contents of A. japonicus from two populations(one in sandy-muddy seagrass beds and one in rocky intertidal reefs) and the microbiota in their surrounding sediments. The activities of digestive and immune-related enzymes in the A. japonicus were also examined. The results indicated that higher bacterial richness and Shannon diversity index were observed in all the seagrass-bed samples. There were significant differences in intestinal and sediment microorganisms between the two habitats, with a 2.87 times higher abundance of Firmicutes in the seagrass bed sediments than that in the reefs. Meanwhile, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were significantly higher abundant in the gut content of A. japonicus from seagrass bed than those from the reefs. In addition, the seagrass-bed samples exhibited a relatively higher abundance of potential probiotics. Principal coordinates analysis and heatmap showed the bacterial communities were classifi ed into two groups corresponding to the two habitat types. Moreover, compared to A. japonicus obtained from rocky intertidal habitat, those obtained from the seagrass bed showed higher lysozyme, superoxide dismutase and protease activities. Our results suggest that bacterial communities present in seagrass beds might enhance the digestive function and immunity of A. japonicus. Therefore, compared with the rocky intertidal reef, seagrass bed seems to be more beneficial for the survival of A. japonicus.