Diversity and Composition of Microbial Communities in an Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Bed in Tokyo Bay, Japan

• Published in: Microbes and Environments Vol. 36; no. 4; p. ME21037
• Main Authors: Iqbal, Md Mehedi, Nishimura, Masahiko, Haider, Md. Nurul, Sano, Masayoshi, Ijichi, Minoru, Kogure, Kazuhiro, Yoshizawa, Susumu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology / Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology / Taiwan Society of Microbial Ecology / Japanese Society of Plant Microbe Interactions / Japanese Society for Extremophiles 2021
• Subjects: 16S rRNA; Bays - microbiology; dead leaf; eelgrass microbiome; Japan; Microbiota; Regular Paper; Tokyo; Tokyo Bay; Water Microbiology; Zostera marina; Zosteraceae - microbiology; Tokyo; Japan; Zostera marina; 16S rRNA; dead leaf; eelgrass microbiome; Tokyo Bay
• ISSN: 1342-6311; 1347-4405
• DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.ME21037

Zostera marina (eelgrass) is a widespread seagrass species that forms diverse and productive habitats along coast lines throughout much of the northern hemisphere. The present study investigated the microbial consortia of Z. marina growing at Futtsu clam-digging beach, Chiba prefecture, Japan. The following environmental samples were collected: sediment, seawater, plant leaves, and the root-rhizome. Sediment and seawater samples were obtained from three sampling points: inside, outside, and at the marginal point of the eelgrass bed. The microbial composition of each sample was analyzed using 16S ribosomal gene amplicon sequencing. Microbial communities on the dead (withered) leaf surface markedly differed from those in sediment, but were similar to those in seawater. Eelgrass leaves and surrounding seawater were dominated by the bacterial taxa Rhodobacterales (Alphaproteobacteria), whereas Rhodobacterales were a minor group in eelgrass sediment. Additionally, we speculated that the order Sphingomonadales (Alphaproteobacteria) acts as a major degrader during the decomposition process and constantly degrades eelgrass leaves, which then spread into the surrounding seawater. Withered eelgrass leaves did not accumulate on the surface sediment because they were transported out of the eelgrass bed by wind and residual currents unique to the central part of Tokyo Bay.