Microbial communities in developmental stages of lucinid bivalves

Bivalves from the family Lucinidae host sulfur-oxidizing bacterial symbionts, which are housed inside specialized gill epithelial cells and are assumed to be acquired from the environment. However, little is known about the Lucinidae life cycle and symbiont acquisition in the wild. Some lucinid species broadcast their gametes into the surrounding water column, however, a few have been found to externally brood their offspring by the forming gelatinous egg masses. So far, symbiont transmission has only been investigated in one species that reproduces via broadcast spawning. Here, we show that the lucinid Loripes orbiculatus from the West African coast forms egg masses and these are dominated by diverse members of the Alphaproteobacteria, Clostridia, and Gammaproteobacteria. The microbial communities of the egg masses were distinct from those in the environments surrounding lucinids, indicating that larvae may shape their associated microbiomes. The gill symbiont of the adults was undetectable in the developmental stages, supporting horizontal transmission of the symbiont with environmental symbiont acquisition after hatching from the egg masses. These results demonstrate that L. orbiculatus acquires symbionts from the environment independent of the host’s reproductive strategy (brooding or broadcast spawning) and reveal previously unknown associations with microbes during lucinid early development.