Field Center Projects by State/Region - Alaska

Microbial Ecology of Deep-Sea Corals

Most people are familiar with tropical coral reefs, located in warm, shallow waters. However, corals also exist hundreds and even thousands of meters below the ocean's surface where it is cold and completely dark. In the last few decades, scientists have discovered and photographed incredible gardens of deep-sea corals off the coasts of North America, Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand. These corals survive without algal symbionts (because there is no light for photosynthesis) and may take a long time to grow. Thus the potential role of coral-associated microbes is even more interesting. It is possible that the microbes are helping to feed these corals, similar to the chemosynthetic bacterial symbionts that feed hydrothermal-vent worms. The microbial communities of these cold adapted corals are also likely to contain novel organisms, which will not only increase our understanding of microbial diversity but could also be a source of new enzymes or pharmaceuticals.