Integrating morphology and metagenomics to understand taxonomic variability of Amphisorus (Foraminifera, Miliolida) from Western Australia and Indonesia


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nina.tombers [ at ] hifmb.de

Abstract

<jats:p>Foraminifera are a group of mostly marine protists with high taxonomic diversity. Species identification is often complex, as both morphological and molecular approaches can be challenging due to a lack of unique characters and reference sequences. An integrative approach combining state of the art morphological and molecular tools is therefore promising. In this study, we analysed large benthic Foraminifera of the genus <jats:italic>Amphisorus</jats:italic> from Western Australia and Indonesia. Based on previous findings on high morphological variability observed in the Soritidae and the discontinuous distribution of <jats:italic>Amphisorus</jats:italic> along the coast of western Australia, we expected to find multiple morphologically and genetically unique <jats:italic>Amphisorus</jats:italic> types. In order to gain detailed insights into the diversity of <jats:italic>Amphisorus</jats:italic>, we applied micro CT scanning and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. We identified four distinct morphotypes of <jats:italic>Amphisorus</jats:italic>, two each in Australia and Indonesia, and showed that each morphotype is a distinct genotype. Furthermore, metagenomics revealed the presence of three dinoflagellate symbiont clades. The most common symbiont was <jats:italic>Fugacium</jats:italic> Fr5, and we could show that its genotypes were mostly specific to <jats:italic>Amphisorus</jats:italic> morphotypes. Finally, we assembled the microbial taxa associated with the two Western Australian morphotypes, and analysed their microbial community composition. Even though each <jats:italic>Amphisorus</jats:italic> morphotype harboured distinct bacterial communities, sampling location had a stronger influence on bacterial community composition, and we infer that the prokaryotic community is primarily shaped by the microhabitat rather than host identity. The integrated approach combining analyses of host morphology and genetics, dinoflagellate symbionts, and associated microbes leads to the conclusion that we identified distinct, yet undescribed taxa of <jats:italic>Amphisorus</jats:italic>. We argue that the combination of morphological and molecular methods provides unprecedented insights into the diversity of foraminifera, which paves the way for a deeper understanding of their biodiversity, and facilitates future taxonomic and ecological work.</jats:p>



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Miscellaneous
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Published
Eprint ID
53539
DOI https://www.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244616

Cite as
Macher, J. N. , Prazeres, M. , Taudien, S. , Jompa, J. , Sadekov, A. and Renema, W. (2021): Integrating morphology and metagenomics to understand taxonomic variability of Amphisorus (Foraminifera, Miliolida) from Western Australia and Indonesia , [Miscellaneous] doi: https://www.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244616


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