| ABSTRACT Many sessile marine invertebrates have life cycles involving the development of larvae that settle on specific substrates to initiate metamorphosis to juvenile forms. Although is recognized that bacterial biofilms play a role in this process, the responsible chemical cues are beginning to be investigated. Here, we tested the role of substrate-specific bacteria biofilms and their Quorum Sensing Signaling Molecule (QSSM) extracts on chemotaxis and settlement of larvae from Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus, a hydroid that grows on gastropod shells occupied by hermit crabs. We isolated and taxonomically identified by 16S rDNA sequencing, 14 bacterial strains from shells having H. symbiolongicarpus. Three isolates, Shigella flexneri, Microbacterium... |
