Microbial communities in sediment from <i>Zostera marina</i> patches, but not the <i>Z. marina</i> leaf or root microbiomes, vary in relation to distance from patch edge

Abstract

Our results are mostly consistent with prior work on seagrass associated microbiomes with a few differences and additional findings. From a functional point of view, the most significant finding is that many of the taxa that differ significantly between sample types and sites are closely related to ones commonly associated with various aspects of sulfur and nitrogen metabolism. Though not a traditional model organism, we believe that <i>Z. marina</i> can become a model for studies of marine plant-microbiome interactions.