identifier: METPO:1007093
label: epibiont phenotype
definition: A phenotype characterized by a microbe that lives on the external surface
  of a host organism or substrate, as distinct from endosymbionts (which live inside
  the host); captures host-association mode, not specific host taxonomy.
trait_category: OTHER
term_kind: CLASS
mapping_status: SEEDED
parent_traits:
- METPO:1000059
synonyms:
- synonym_text: ectosymbiont
  synonym_type: EXACT_SYNONYM
  source: metpo.owl
- synonym_text: epibiont
  synonym_type: EXACT_SYNONYM
  source: metpo.owl
created_by: Marcin Joachimiak
curation_history:
- timestamp: '2026-09-11T09:17:09Z'
  curator: seed_from_metpo
  action: SEEDED_FROM_METPO
  changes: imported from data/raw/metpo.owl (CLASS)
- timestamp: '2026-09-11T09:20:00Z'
  curator: codex
  action: ENRICHED_FROM_LITERATURE
  changes: Enriched the seeded METPO epibiont phenotype with DOI- and stable-URL-backed
    Epibacterium ulvae surface-association evidence after a repository-wide duplicate
    review covering ignored and hidden files.
  llm_assisted: true
definition_source: DOI:10.1099/ijs.0.042838-0
evidence:
- reference: DOI:10.1099/ijs.0.042838-0
  snippet: were isolated from the marine alga Ulva australis
  notes: Penesyan et al. describe Epibacterium ulvae strains U95 and U82 as bacteria
    associated with the marine green alga Ulva australis.
- reference: https://bacdive.dsmz.de/strain/24523
  snippet: isolated from surface of the marine green alga Ulva australis
  notes: BacDive records the E. ulvae type strain U95 as isolated from the external
    surface of the marine green alga Ulva australis.
canonical_examples:
- taxon_id: NCBITaxon:1156985
  taxon_label: Epibacterium ulvae
  note: Species represented by type strain U95 (= DSM 24752 = LMG 26464), which was
    isolated from the surface of the marine green alga Ulva australis.
  reference: https://bacdive.dsmz.de/strain/24523