Microorganisms, Vol. 13, Pages 2420: Community Structure of Labyrinthulomycetes Protists in Zostera marina Seagrass Beds of Northern China

Microorganisms doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13112420

Authors:
Yibo Fu
Tianle Chu
Xinlong An
Yike He
Chen Dai
Shibo Li
Yining Gu
Zhaoge Guo
Yingbo Duan
Qiuzhen Wang

Labyrinthulomycetes protists play important roles in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling in marine ecosystems. To better understand their distribution and potential ecological functions in Caofeidian seagrass beds of the Bohai Sea, we conducted high-throughput sequencing of samples collected from multiple habitats, including leaves (L), rhizosphere (R), sediments (S), and seawater (W). Our results revealed distinct habitat-specific patterns of community composition. Oblongichytrium and Stellarchytrium were dominant in certain samples, exhibiting clear differences across stations. Oblongichytrium showed particularly high abundance in leaf and seawater samples, likely reflecting the availability of particulate and dissolved substrates enriched by seagrass beds. In the rhizosphere, Sicyoidochytrium, Stellarchytrium and Labyrinthula were enriched, whereas unclassified Labyrinthulomycetes and Thraustochytriaceae lineages prevailed in seawater and specific leaf samples. Notably, a substantial proportion of sequences corresponded to unclassified lineages, potentially representing uncultured “seagrass-associated” taxa. Compared with previous reports, our study revealed both a significantly higher abundance of Stellarchytrium and a remarkably greater proportion of unclassified lineages, suggesting unique features of Labyrinthulomycetes communities in the Caofeidian seagrass ecosystem. These findings provide new insights into the ecological roles of Labyrinthulomycetes in seagrass beds and offer an important reference for future taxonomic and functional studies of this group.

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Yibo Fu www.mdpi.com