Abstract
Seagrasses are vital members of coastal systems, which provide several important ecosystem services such as improvement of water quality, shoreline protection, and serving as shelter, food, and nursery to many species, including economically important fish. They also act as a major carbon sink and supply copious amounts of oxygen to the ocean. A decline in seagrasses has been observed worldwide, partly due to climate change, direct and indirect human activities, diseases, and increased sulfide concentrations in the coastal porewaters. Several studies have shown a symbiotic relationship between seagrasses and their microbiome. For instance, the sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon cycles are important biochemical pathways that seem to be linked between the plant and its microbiome. The microbiome presumably also plays a key role in the health of the plant, for example in oxidizing phyto-toxic sulfide into non-toxic sulfate, or by providing protection for seagrasses from pathogens. Two of the most abundant seagrasses in Florida include Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) and Syringodium filliforme (manatee grass), yet there is little data on the composition of the microbiome of these two genera. In this study, the microbial composition of the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme were compared to water and sediment controls using amplicon sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The microbial composition of the leaves, roots, seawater, and sediment differ from one another, but are similar between the two species of seagrasses.
Highlights
Seagrasses are found nearly worldwide, excluding Antarctica [1,2], and the total area of seagrass coverage has been estimated between 300,000 to 600,000 km2 [3,4]
The microbial composition of the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme were compared to water and sediment controls using amplicon sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene
The number of Sequence variants (SVs) in the turtle grass rhizosphere was 3373, 2771 SVs were recovered from the manatee grass rhizosphere, and 3597 SVs were present attached to the turtle grass rhizome
Summary
Seagrasses are found nearly worldwide, excluding Antarctica [1,2], and the total area of seagrass coverage has been estimated between 300,000 to 600,000 km2 [3,4]. Seagrasses provide many essential ecological benefits, such as storage of blue carbon, supplying food, shelter, nursery, and ecosystem engineering (reviewed by Ugarelli et al 2017 [5]). Are seagrasses a major carbon sink [6], and, as a byproduct of photosynthesis, one square meter of seagrass-meadow can emit up to. Seagrasses, along with mangroves and coral reefs, help buffer harsh waves and prevent the stir-up of sediment [8,9]. Their roots extend vertically and horizontally, and the rhizomes extend horizontally, which allows them to withstand the forces of strong tides [8] and prevent uprooting, even with heavily grazed canopies [9]. Seagrass beds significantly reduce the number of pathogens present in the water column [10]
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