Abstract
Although seagrasses are economically and ecologically critical species, little is known about their blade surface microbial communities and how these communities relate to the plant host. To determine microbial community composition and diversity on seagrass blade surfaces and in the surrounding seawater,16S rRNA gene sequencing (iTag) was used for samples collected at five sites along a gradient of freshwater input in the northern Gulf of Mexico on three separate sampling dates. Additionally, seagrass surveys were performed and environmental parameters were measured to characterize host characteristics and the abiotic conditions at each site. Results showed that Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) blades hosted unique microbial communities that were distinct in composition and diversity from the water column. Environmental conditions, including water depth, salinity, and temperature, influenced community structure as blade surface microbial communities varied among sites and sampling dates in correlation with changes in environmental parameters. Microbial community composition also correlated with seagrass host characteristics, including growth rates and blade nutrient composition. There is some evidence for a core community for T. testudinum as 21 microorganisms from five phyla (Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes) were present in all blade surface samples. This study provides new insights and understanding of the processes that influence the structure of marine phyllosphere communities, how these microbial communities relate to their host, and their role as a part of the seagrass holobiont, which is an important contribution given the current decline of seagrass coverage worldwide.
Highlights
In recent years, there has been an increasing number of studies on the microbial communities associated with the leaf surfaces, or phyllosphere, of terrestrial plants [1,2,3,4,5]
Despite the sites being relatively close in proximity (< 3 km apart), differences were observed in environmental conditions across site and over the three sampling dates
Water depth was significantly different by site (Kruskal-Wallis, p
Summary
There has been an increasing number of studies on the microbial communities associated with the leaf surfaces, or phyllosphere, of terrestrial plants [1,2,3,4,5]. We know that the phyllosphere is a rich habitat for microbes and that leaf surfaces can host up to 107. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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