Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
07:26
Visualizing Methane-Cycling Microbial Dynamics in Coastal Wetlands
Published on: January 31, 2025
971
Ocean warming indirectly affects seagrass performance through effects on sediment microbial communities
Renske Jongen1, Paul E Gribben2, Katherine R Erickson2
1School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
The New Phytologist
|May 5, 2026
Summary
Ocean warming alters sediment microbes, suppressing seagrass performance. These microbial changes can override plant thermal history, acting as hidden constraints on seagrass resilience.
Area of Science:
- Marine ecology
- Microbial ecology
- Seagrass research
Background:
- Belowground microbes mediate plant stress responses.
- The influence of thermal histories on marine plants and their microbes under ocean warming is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the effects of sediment and plant origin, and microbial disruption on seagrass (Zostera muelleri) performance under ocean warming.
- To investigate the role of sediment microbial communities in seagrass resilience.
Main Methods:
- Common-garden field experiment at a long-term warmed site (>30 years, 1-3°C warming).
- Manipulated sediment origin (ambient vs. warm), plant origin (ambient vs. warm), and microbial communities (intact vs. disrupted).
- Assessed seagrass aboveground biomass and analyzed microbial community composition.
Main Results:
- Seagrass from both origins had reduced biomass in intact warm-origin sediments.
- Disruption of sediment microbes restored seagrass performance in warm-origin sediments.
- Warm-origin sediments with disrupted microbes showed enrichment in sulfide-oxidizing bacteria, correlating with enhanced performance.
Conclusions:
- Ocean warming shapes sediment microbial communities, potentially suppressing seagrass performance.
- Sediment microbial communities can override plant thermal history, acting as constraints on seagrass tolerance to warming.
- Understanding these microbial dynamics is crucial for seagrass conservation under climate change.
Keywords:
Zostera muelleribelowground processesenvironmental changeholobionthost–microbe interactionsmicrobiomeplant–soil feedbacksMore Related Videos
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