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Mangrove ecosystems, where litter and organic components are degraded and converted into detrital materials, support rich coastal fisheries resources. Sesarmid (Grapsidae) crabs, which feed on mangrove litter, play a crucial role in material flow in carbon-rich and nitrogen-limited mangrove ecosystems; however, the process of assimilation and conversion into detritus has not been well studied. In this study, we performed microbiome analyses of intestinal bacteria from three species of mangrove crab and five sediment positions in the mud lobster mounds, including the crab burrow wall, to study the interactive roles of crabs and sediment in metabolism. Metagenome analysis revealed species-dependent intestinal profiles, especially in Neosarmatium smithi, while the sediment microbiome was similar in all positions, albeit with some regional dependency. The microbiome profiles of crab intestines and sediments were significantly different in the MDS analysis based on OTU similarity; however, 579 OTUs (about 70% of reads in the crab intestinal microbiome) were identical between the intestinal and sediment bacteria. In the phenotype prediction, cellulose degradation was observed in the crab intestine. Cellulase activity was detected in both crab intestine and sediment. This could be mainly ascribed to Demequinaceae, which was predominantly found in the crab intestines and burrow walls. Nitrogen fixation was also enriched in both the crab intestines and sediments, and was supported by the nitrogenase assay. Similar to earlier reports, sulfur-related families were highly enriched in the sediment, presumably degrading organic compounds as terminal electron acceptors under anaerobic conditions. These results suggest that mangrove crabs and habitat sediment both contribute to carbon and nitrogen cycling in the mangrove ecosystem via these two key reactions., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Ten strains of root nodule bacteria were isolated from the nodules of Acacia mangium grown in the Philippines and Thailand. Partial sequences (approx. 300 bp) of the 16S rRNA gene of each isolate were analyzed. The nucleotide sequences of strain DASA 35030 indicated high homology (>99%) with members of the genus Ochrobactrum in Brucellaceae, although the sequences of other isolates were homologous to those of two distinct genera Bradyrhizobium and Rhizobium. The strain DASA 35030 was strongly suggested to be a strain of Ochrobactrum by full length sequences of the 16S rRNA gene, fatty acids composition, G+C contents of the DNA, and other physiological characteristics. Strain DASA 35030 induced root nodules on A. mangium, A. albida and Paraserianthes falcataria. The nodules formed by strain DASA 35030 fixed nitrogen and the morphology of the nodules is the same as those of nodules formed by the other isolates. This is the first report that the strain of Ochrobactrum possesses complete symbiotic ability with Acacia.