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<p>There is growing interest in blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs, typically seagrass meadows, salt marshes, and mangrove forests) as nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, the extent to which microbial communities within the sediments of BCEs differ amongst them is poorly understood. Here, using 16S rRNA metabarcoding and after accounting for microbial taxa in adjacent water, we characterised the sediment microbial community of mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses, the three BCEs co-occurring the Nahoon River Estuary, South Africa. Our comparison of the BCEs at three sampling sites (~1 km apart) revealed significant spatial heterogeneity between sites. We found that whilst the BCEs show significantly different microbial communities and harbour unique taxa, they show a high degree of overlap. Eight genera were shared across the BCEs, including uncultured groups and members of <i>Clostridium, Lokiarchaeia, Mycobacterium, Bauldia</i> and <i>Spirochaeta</i>, suggestive of a BCE core microbiome. Our findings suggest that BCE microbial communities are shaped more by the sampling site than by the broader ecosystem. Whilst further studies are required, the results also provide insights suggesting that microbial communities could potentially serve as ecological indicators for monitoring these highly threatened ecosystems.</p>

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Microbial mosaics: Patterns of microbial diversity across three co-occurring blue carbon ecosystems

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月7日

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  • Andrew Ndhlovu,
  • Andrew Searle,
  • Sophie von der Heyden

摘要

There is growing interest in blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs, typically seagrass meadows, salt marshes, and mangrove forests) as nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, the extent to which microbial communities within the sediments of BCEs differ amongst them is poorly understood. Here, using 16S rRNA metabarcoding and after accounting for microbial taxa in adjacent water, we characterised the sediment microbial community of mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses, the three BCEs co-occurring the Nahoon River Estuary, South Africa. Our comparison of the BCEs at three sampling sites (~1 km apart) revealed significant spatial heterogeneity between sites. We found that whilst the BCEs show significantly different microbial communities and harbour unique taxa, they show a high degree of overlap. Eight genera were shared across the BCEs, including uncultured groups and members of Clostridium, Lokiarchaeia, Mycobacterium, Bauldia and Spirochaeta, suggestive of a BCE core microbiome. Our findings suggest that BCE microbial communities are shaped more by the sampling site than by the broader ecosystem. Whilst further studies are required, the results also provide insights suggesting that microbial communities could potentially serve as ecological indicators for monitoring these highly threatened ecosystems.