Figure 5. Bacterial taxa significantly correlated with environmental and physiological variables.

Pearson’s coefficient based correlation matrix between the 20 most abundant bacterial families and environmental/physiological variables having a significant effect on the microbiome associated to tissue and surface mucus of (A) Acropora millepora (n_tissue = 24, n_mucus = 24)and (B) Acropora tenuis (n_tissue = 30, n_mucus = 28). Significant correlations indicated by asterisks at different levels of significance (* for p < 0.05, ** for p < 0.01, *** for p < 0.001) after correction for multiple comparisons (using Benjamini-Hochberg correction). Environmental/physiological variables represented are the sum of nitrite and nitrate concentrations (NO2–NO3), particulate organic carbon (POC), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonium concentration (NH₄), chlorophyll a concentration (Chla) in seawater and Symbiodiniaceae density normalized to protein contents(Zoox.Prot) of coral tissue.