Unifying microorganisms and macrograzers in rocky shore ecological networks

Over the past decades, our understanding of the vital role microbes play in ecosystem processes has greatly expanded. However, we still have limited knowledge about how microbial communities interact with larger organisms. Many existing representations of microbial interactions are based on co-occurrence patterns, which do not provide clear insights into trophic or non-trophic relationships. In this study, we untangled trophic and non-trophic interactions between macroscopic and microscopic organisms on a marine rocky shore. Five abundant mollusk grazers were selected, and their consumptive (grazing) and non-consumptive (grazer pedal mucus) interactions with bacteria in biofilms were measured using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. While no significant effects on a commonly used measure of biofilm grazing (Chlorophyll-a concentration) were observed, detailed image analysis revealed that all grazers had a detrimental impact on biofilm cover. Moreover, different grazers exhibited distinct effects on various bacterial groups. Some groups, such as Rhodobacteraceae, Saprospiraceae, Flavobacteriaceae, and Halieaceae, experienced positive effects from specific grazers, while others, like Rhizobiaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, and Flavobacteriaceae were negatively affected by certain grazers. This study presents the first attempt to construct an interaction network between macroorganisms and bacteria. It demonstrates that the strength of trophic and non-trophic interactions varies significantly depending on the mollusk grazer or bacterial group involved. Notably, certain bacterial groups exhibited a generalized response, while others showed specialized responses to specific macroorganisms in trophic or non-trophic interactions. Overall, this work highlights the potential for integrating microbes into ecological networks, providing valuable insights and methodologies for quantifying interactions across Domains. This research complements the previous ecological network, showing that mollusk grazers interact not only trophically but also non-trophically with epilithic biofilms. It identifies three drivers affecting microbial community assembly, crucial for understanding macro-microorganism dynamics in intertidal systems.