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Habitat and Behavior
Endozoicomonas are mutualistic organisms that have a symbiotic relationship with many marine animals. Found in all oceans of the world, they inhabit mostly in warm and mildly temperate waters located between the tropics, existing from the intertidal zone to the open ocean. Their most common association is the one shared with corals, especially with those found in shallow waters, but can also thrive in deep-water corals as well, locating themselves in the soft epithelial tissue of these. . Also, they have been found to share this relationship with many other invertebrates such as sponges, tunicates, sea slugs, and some mollusks.

The presence of Endozoicomonas in the marine ecosystem is associated with the overall coral health, serving as a marker of the general well-being of corals and the organisms that inhabit in coral reefs, as well as reducing the presence of pathogenic bacteria that may try to infect the coral. Other functions associated to Endozoicomonas relate to amino acid and vitamin synthesis, in the production of metabolites while contributing with nitrogen and sulfur cycles , and to transfer organic molecules which avidly helps in the nutrition of its host , yet their exact function and the way in which their presence affects all these organisms is still yet to be determined.

During coral bleaching, Endozoicomonas populations remain present in the water in low amounts, indicating a certain level of resilience, and the absence of a healthy coral community leads to either migration or death of these bacteria. Other environmental factors and stressors such as temperature changes, acidification of the ocean, and anthropogenic activities have a direct impact as well in the abundance of these microorganisms in their habitat.