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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Dynamics of Microbial Abundance in Unvegetated and Seagrass Habitats: A Case Study

by
Madeline Olivia
1,2,3,
Patrichka Wei-Yi Chen
1,2,3,
Clara Natalie Annabel
1,
Wen-Chen Chou
1,2,3,
Jian-Jhih Chen
4,
Vladimir Mukhanov
5,6,
Chien-Fu Chao
1 and
An-Yi Tsai
1,2,3,*
1
Institute of Marine Environment and Ecology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan
2
Doctoral Degree Program in Ocean Resource and Environmental Changes, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan
3
Center of Excellence for the Oceans, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan
4
Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 81157, Taiwan
5
A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, Russian Academy of Sciences, 299011 Sevastopol, Russia
6
Laboratory of Marine Ecosystems, Institute for Advanced Research, Sevastopol State University, 299053 Sevastopol, Russia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(6), 1048; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13061048
Submission received: 12 April 2025 / Revised: 13 May 2025 / Accepted: 24 May 2025 / Published: 26 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biogeography in Global Oceanic Systems)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Seagrass meadows are recognized for their ecological importance, yet their influence on microbial community structure remains insufficiently characterized. This study examined the effects of seagrass presence on microbial assemblages in a subtropical coastal environment by comparing seagrass habitats to adjacent unvegetated sediments. Microbial abundances, including viruses, bacteria, picophytoplankton (Synechococcus spp. and picoeukaryotes), and heterotrophic nanoflagellates, were quantified using flow cytometry. Viral concentrations were significantly higher in seagrass treatments (2.4–9.2 × 106 viruses mL–1) than in controls (0.6–2.0 × 106 viruses mL–1), while bacterial abundances were slightly lower in seagrass treatments (5.1–16.0 × 105 cells mL–1) than in controls (7.9–16.6 × 105 cells mL–1). As a result, the virus-to-bacteria ratio (VBR) was significantly elevated in seagrass habitats, suggesting enhanced viral regulation of bacterial populations. Additionally, picophytoplankton and heterotrophic nanoflagellates increased in seagrass incubations, with strong correlations indicating that nanoflagellates are likely major grazers of picophytoplankton. These results highlight the role of seagrass habitats in modulating microbial interactions and emphasize the need to consider habitat-specific characteristics when evaluating microbial dynamics and biogeochemical processes in coastal systems.
Keywords: seagrass; viruses; bacteria; picophytoplankton; nanoflagellate; viral-to-bacterial abundance ratios (VBR) seagrass; viruses; bacteria; picophytoplankton; nanoflagellate; viral-to-bacterial abundance ratios (VBR)

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MDPI and ACS Style

Olivia, M.; Chen, P.W.-Y.; Annabel, C.N.; Chou, W.-C.; Chen, J.-J.; Mukhanov, V.; Chao, C.-F.; Tsai, A.-Y. Dynamics of Microbial Abundance in Unvegetated and Seagrass Habitats: A Case Study. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13, 1048. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13061048

AMA Style

Olivia M, Chen PW-Y, Annabel CN, Chou W-C, Chen J-J, Mukhanov V, Chao C-F, Tsai A-Y. Dynamics of Microbial Abundance in Unvegetated and Seagrass Habitats: A Case Study. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2025; 13(6):1048. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13061048

Chicago/Turabian Style

Olivia, Madeline, Patrichka Wei-Yi Chen, Clara Natalie Annabel, Wen-Chen Chou, Jian-Jhih Chen, Vladimir Mukhanov, Chien-Fu Chao, and An-Yi Tsai. 2025. "Dynamics of Microbial Abundance in Unvegetated and Seagrass Habitats: A Case Study" Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 13, no. 6: 1048. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13061048

APA Style

Olivia, M., Chen, P. W.-Y., Annabel, C. N., Chou, W.-C., Chen, J.-J., Mukhanov, V., Chao, C.-F., & Tsai, A.-Y. (2025). Dynamics of Microbial Abundance in Unvegetated and Seagrass Habitats: A Case Study. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 13(6), 1048. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13061048

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