Abstract

The filter feeder clam Laternula elliptica is a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem. As a stenothermal benthic species, it has a poor capacity for adaptation to small temperature variations. Despite their ecological importance and sensitivity to climate change, studies on their microbiomes are lacking. The goal of this study was to characterize the bacterial communities of L. elliptica and the anatomical variability of this microbiome to provide an initial insight of host-microbiota interactions. We investigated the diversity and taxonomic composition of L. elliptica bacterial communities of L. elliptica from five regions of the body using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that the microbiome of L. elliptica tended to differ from that of the surrounding seawater samples. However, there were no significant differences in the microbial composition between the body sites, and only two OTUs were present in all samples, considered core microbiome (genus Moritella and Polaribacter). No significant differences were detected in diversity indexes among tissues (mean 626.85 for observed OTUs, 628.89 Chao1, 5.42 Shannon, and 0.87 Simpson). Rarefaction analysis revealed that most tissues reached a plateau of OTU number according to sample increase, with the exception of Siphon samples. Psychromonas and Psychrilyobacter were particularly abundant in L. elliptica whereas Fluviicola dominated seawater and siphons. Typical polar bacteria were such as Polaribacter, Shewanella, Colwellia, and Moritella. However, we detected the prevalence of pathogenic bacterial sequences, particularly in the family Arcobacteraceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Mycoplasmataceae. The prokaryotic diversity was similar among tissues, as well as their taxonomic composition, suggesting a homogeneity of the microbiome along L. elliptica body. The Antarctic clam population can be used to monitor the impact of human activity in areas near Antarctic stations that discharge wastewater.