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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Artículo científico |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
Marine environmental research
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41232418/ |
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Table of Contents:
- Variation in sediment and rhizosphere microbial communities of Posidonia oceanica across sites exposed to different human influences. Bulleri, Fabio Marzinelli, Ezequiel M Oliva, Matteo Gribben, Paul E Rhizosphere Geologic Sediments Alismatales Bacteria Microbiota Environmental Monitoring Italy Plant Roots Sediment microbial communities, in particular bacteria, play a key role in regulating seagrass metabolism through the control of nutrient and chemical cycling. Major differences between seagrass rhizosphere and surrounding bulk sediments suggest that plants can actively shape the composition of the bacterial community associated to their roots. However, the ability of plants to maintain consistent rhizosphere bacterial communities can be expected to decrease along a gradient of increasing human disturbance, as plants experience growing stress levels. We tested this hypothesis by comparing bacterial communities between roots and bulk sediments of Posidonia oceanica across sites characterized by a different exposure to human activities, along and off the coast of Tuscany (NW Mediterranean). There were major variations in granulometry, trophic status and bacterial communities of bulk sediment among study sites. The relative abundance of Desulfobulbaceae (genus Desulforhopalus), which can reduce sulfates to toxic sulfides, was higher in bulk sediments compared to the rhizosphere, suggesting negative selection by the plants. By contrast, bacterial communities in the P. oceanica rhizosphere did not vary among sites exposed to different human pressures and were enriched with Acidimicrobiia (i.e., Ilumatobacter fluminis and CADEDH01 sp902826025) in respect to surrounding sediments. These bacteria are known sulphide oxidisers and may represent a mechanism for sediment detoxification. Our study suggests that P. oceanica may be able to shape the root bacterial community in the face of variations in sediment microbiological and physico-chemical conditions. Alternatively, P. oceanica may have a relatively inflexible microbial community. Our results have important implications for seagrass restoration and management, since maintaining intact root-associated microbiota may enhance the establishment and growth of translocated plants. However, an inability for root bacterial communities to adapt to changes in environmental conditions may render them vulnerable to increasing environmental stress. Testing these two contrasting hypotheses will be an important avenue for future research.