Chiara Benvenuti

Dr. Chiara Benvenuti


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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21 November 2024 in Microbiology Research
Verified
Journal Article
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CBChiara Benvenuti
Chiara Benvenuti
GFGiulia Fassio
Giulia Fassio
VRVALERIA RUSSINI
VALERIA RUSSINI
MMMaria Vittoria Modica
Maria Vittoria Modica
MOMarco Oliverio
Marco Oliverio
ENElisa Nocella
Elisa Nocella
The corallivorous snails Coralliophila meyendorffii and its coral host Parazoanthus axinellae are appealing candidates for studying symbiotic interactions at the microbiome level. In this study, we investigated for the first time the microbial community in the stomach of C. meyendorffii and in the polyps of its coral host P. axinellae using as markers multiple regions of the 16S rRNA gene. The bacterial community in the stomach of another corallivorous snail, Babelomurex cariniferus, that feeds on Cladocora hexacorals, was also investigated for comparison. The obtained results indicated the phylum Proteobacteria as the most abundant among the analysed samples, with Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria as the main classes. Among the investigated communities, some bacterial taxa were recognised in line with previous findings in the microbiota of marine invertebrates. As both organisms are exposed to the same bacteria in their habitats, this might suggest shared environmental influences for their microbiota composition. Most of the detected taxa found exclusively or predominantly in P. axinellae samples suggest the presence of holobiont components within the microbial community of this coral, mirroring those identified in other corals, while the stomach microbiome of C. meyendorffii did not indicate a primary role in parasitism. Finally, we provide evidence that many of these bacterial taxa are horizontally transferred between Parazohantus and Corallliophila.