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Related Experiment Videos

Global-Scale Structure of the Eelgrass Microbiome.

Ashkaan K Fahimipour1, Melissa R Kardish2, Jenna M Lang3

  • 1Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA ashkaan.fahimipour@gmail.com.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|April 16, 2017
PubMed
Summary

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This summary is machine-generated.

Marine eelgrass (Zostera marina) hosts distinct leaf and root microbiomes. Leaf communities vary spatially like seawater, while root communities show stable, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria enrichment, suggesting habitat filtering.

Area of Science:

  • Marine microbiology
  • Plant-microbe interactions
  • Ecosystem ecology

Background:

  • Plant-associated microorganisms are vital for host health and performance.
  • Terrestrial plant microbiome studies are common, but marine plant microbiomes are less understood.
  • Seagrasses, like Zostera marina, represent an extreme evolutionary adaptation to marine environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the global structure, composition, and variability of microbial communities on Zostera marina leaves and roots.
  • To compare eelgrass-associated microbiomes with surrounding seawater and sediment communities.
  • To investigate microbial community assembly mechanisms on different plant compartments using metabolic modeling.

Main Methods:

  • Global-scale sampling of Zostera marina leaf and root surfaces.
Keywords:
phyllosphere-inhabiting microbesplant-microbe interactionsrhizosphere-inhabiting microbesseagrass

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of associated microbial communities via sequencing.
  • Comparison with microbial communities in adjacent seawater and sediment.
  • Metabolic modeling to infer community assembly processes.

    • Main Results:

    • Eelgrass leaf microbial communities exhibited high spatial variability, mirroring coastal seawater microbiomes.
    • Root microbial communities showed low variability and distinct composition from sediment, enriched with sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.
    • Metabolic modeling supported habitat filtering as a key assembly mechanism for root microbiomes.

    Conclusions:

    • Zostera marina harbors distinct microbial communities on its leaf and root surfaces.
    • Disparate assembly processes influence aboveground and belowground microbial communities.
    • Evidence suggests a core root microbiome with potential functional roles in marine environments.