Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration

JONES, JOSEPH

doi:https://doi.org/

E-Thesis 413 views 484 downloads

Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration / JOSEPH JONES

Swansea University Author: JOSEPH JONES

PDF | E-Thesis – open access

Copyright: The author, Joseph Jones, 2025
Download (4.45MB)

Abstract

Seagrasses are important stores of blue carbon and provide important ecosystem services such supporting commercially important fish populations and reducing effects of pollution and erosion; however, seagrasses are in decline because of anthropogenic activities and climate change. Like terrestrial p...

Full description

Published:	Swansea University, Wales, UK 2025
Institution:	Swansea University
Degree level:	Master of Research
Degree name:	MRes
Supervisor:	Sonnenschein, E.
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70123

first_indexed	2025-08-07T10:03:53Z
last_indexed	2025-08-08T08:51:39Z
id	cronfa70123
recordtype	RisThesis
fullrecord	<?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2025-08-07T11:03:50.5006756</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>70123</id><entry>2025-08-07</entry><title>Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>2b72bcabc4ab2aed0dea3e1dfda5b737</sid><firstname>JOSEPH</firstname><surname>JONES</surname><name>JOSEPH JONES</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-08-07</date><abstract>Seagrasses are important stores of blue carbon and provide important ecosystem services such supporting commercially important fish populations and reducing effects of pollution and erosion; however, seagrasses are in decline because of anthropogenic activities and climate change. Like terrestrial plants, seagrasses depend on mutualistic relationships with bacteria that are central to their health.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of bacteria on seagrass germination with the overall prospect of utilizing them as probiotics for seagrass restoration.Seagrass seeds and sediment samples were collected from a restoration nursery in Carmarthenshire, UK. Bacterial strains were isolated from the seeds and sediment using a combination of marine broth and F/2-based growth media to capture diverse taxa. Representative colonies were restreaked, and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, then preserved as cryostocks for subsequent experiments.A laboratory-based germination assay was established to test the effects of different substrates (sediment, agar, and sterile seawater) on germination success.Of the three media, agar yielded the highest germination at 36.1% (p = 0.3402).Co-cultivation experiments demonstrated that some bacterial isolates reduced seed mortality, accelerated germination, and promoted seedling growth. For example, Variovorax paradoxus treatments resulted in higher cotyledon length (15 mm ± 7 mm) compared to the control (14.3 mm ± 8.7 mm). However, the results of statistical analysis did not yield a significance in these effects.Furthermore, bioinformatic analyses were utilized to identify relevant pathways in the bacterial genomes including secondary metabolites to further understand the relationship they may have with seagrass.The four analyzed bacteria genomes were found to encode for enzymes that break down cell wall components, which are vital for cycling nutrients that are important for seagrass growth. Biosynthetic gene clusters for secondary metabolites were identified in the genomes that have functions in antifouling, and communication (terpenes) that positively influence seagrass health and growth.This study shows the importance of seagrass associated bacteria to health and growth of seedlings and adult plants. Furthermore, it provides evidence that strains such as V. paradoxus can be used in biofertilizers to enhance conservation of the seagrass ecosystem.</abstract><type>E-Thesis</type><journal/><volume/><journalNumber/><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher/><placeOfPublication>Swansea University, Wales, UK</placeOfPublication><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic/><keywords>Seagrass, Bacteria, Microbiome, Seagrass seeds, Sediment, Co-cultivation</keywords><publishedDay>3</publishedDay><publishedMonth>7</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-07-03</publishedDate><doi/><url/><notes>A selection of content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis to protect sensitive and personal information.</notes><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><supervisor>Sonnenschein, E.</supervisor><degreelevel>Master of Research</degreelevel><degreename>MRes</degreename><apcterm/><funders/><projectreference/><lastEdited>2025-08-07T11:03:50.5006756</lastEdited><Created>2025-08-07T10:25:39.8350677</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences</level></path><authors><author><firstname>JOSEPH</firstname><surname>JONES</surname><order>1</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>70123__34922__c5df62a27f35433582a0ae1f67777042.pdf</filename><originalFilename>2025_Jones_J.final.70123.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2025-08-07T10:58:17.7526913</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>4664527</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>E-Thesis – open access</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>Copyright: The author, Joseph Jones, 2025</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling	2025-08-07T11:03:50.5006756 v2 70123 2025-08-07 Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration 2b72bcabc4ab2aed0dea3e1dfda5b737 JOSEPH JONES JOSEPH JONES true false 2025-08-07 Seagrasses are important stores of blue carbon and provide important ecosystem services such supporting commercially important fish populations and reducing effects of pollution and erosion; however, seagrasses are in decline because of anthropogenic activities and climate change. Like terrestrial plants, seagrasses depend on mutualistic relationships with bacteria that are central to their health.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of bacteria on seagrass germination with the overall prospect of utilizing them as probiotics for seagrass restoration.Seagrass seeds and sediment samples were collected from a restoration nursery in Carmarthenshire, UK. Bacterial strains were isolated from the seeds and sediment using a combination of marine broth and F/2-based growth media to capture diverse taxa. Representative colonies were restreaked, and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, then preserved as cryostocks for subsequent experiments.A laboratory-based germination assay was established to test the effects of different substrates (sediment, agar, and sterile seawater) on germination success.Of the three media, agar yielded the highest germination at 36.1% (p = 0.3402).Co-cultivation experiments demonstrated that some bacterial isolates reduced seed mortality, accelerated germination, and promoted seedling growth. For example, Variovorax paradoxus treatments resulted in higher cotyledon length (15 mm ± 7 mm) compared to the control (14.3 mm ± 8.7 mm). However, the results of statistical analysis did not yield a significance in these effects.Furthermore, bioinformatic analyses were utilized to identify relevant pathways in the bacterial genomes including secondary metabolites to further understand the relationship they may have with seagrass.The four analyzed bacteria genomes were found to encode for enzymes that break down cell wall components, which are vital for cycling nutrients that are important for seagrass growth. Biosynthetic gene clusters for secondary metabolites were identified in the genomes that have functions in antifouling, and communication (terpenes) that positively influence seagrass health and growth.This study shows the importance of seagrass associated bacteria to health and growth of seedlings and adult plants. Furthermore, it provides evidence that strains such as V. paradoxus can be used in biofertilizers to enhance conservation of the seagrass ecosystem. E-Thesis Swansea University, Wales, UK Seagrass, Bacteria, Microbiome, Seagrass seeds, Sediment, Co-cultivation 3 7 2025 2025-07-03 A selection of content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis to protect sensitive and personal information. COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Sonnenschein, E. Master of Research MRes 2025-08-07T11:03:50.5006756 2025-08-07T10:25:39.8350677 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences JOSEPH JONES 1 70123__34922__c5df62a27f35433582a0ae1f67777042.pdf 2025_Jones_J.final.70123.pdf 2025-08-07T10:58:17.7526913 Output 4664527 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: The author, Joseph Jones, 2025 true eng
title	Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration
spellingShingle	Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration JOSEPH JONES
title_short	Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration
title_full	Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration
title_fullStr	Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration
title_full_unstemmed	Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration
title_sort	Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration
author_id_str_mv	2b72bcabc4ab2aed0dea3e1dfda5b737
author_id_fullname_str_mv	2b72bcabc4ab2aed0dea3e1dfda5b737_***_JOSEPH JONES
author	JOSEPH JONES
author2	JOSEPH JONES
format	E-Thesis
publishDate	2025
institution	Swansea University
college_str	Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id	facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id	facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str	School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
document_store_str	1
active_str	0
description	Seagrasses are important stores of blue carbon and provide important ecosystem services such supporting commercially important fish populations and reducing effects of pollution and erosion; however, seagrasses are in decline because of anthropogenic activities and climate change. Like terrestrial plants, seagrasses depend on mutualistic relationships with bacteria that are central to their health.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of bacteria on seagrass germination with the overall prospect of utilizing them as probiotics for seagrass restoration.Seagrass seeds and sediment samples were collected from a restoration nursery in Carmarthenshire, UK. Bacterial strains were isolated from the seeds and sediment using a combination of marine broth and F/2-based growth media to capture diverse taxa. Representative colonies were restreaked, and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, then preserved as cryostocks for subsequent experiments.A laboratory-based germination assay was established to test the effects of different substrates (sediment, agar, and sterile seawater) on germination success.Of the three media, agar yielded the highest germination at 36.1% (p = 0.3402).Co-cultivation experiments demonstrated that some bacterial isolates reduced seed mortality, accelerated germination, and promoted seedling growth. For example, Variovorax paradoxus treatments resulted in higher cotyledon length (15 mm ± 7 mm) compared to the control (14.3 mm ± 8.7 mm). However, the results of statistical analysis did not yield a significance in these effects.Furthermore, bioinformatic analyses were utilized to identify relevant pathways in the bacterial genomes including secondary metabolites to further understand the relationship they may have with seagrass.The four analyzed bacteria genomes were found to encode for enzymes that break down cell wall components, which are vital for cycling nutrients that are important for seagrass growth. Biosynthetic gene clusters for secondary metabolites were identified in the genomes that have functions in antifouling, and communication (terpenes) that positively influence seagrass health and growth.This study shows the importance of seagrass associated bacteria to health and growth of seedlings and adult plants. Furthermore, it provides evidence that strains such as V. paradoxus can be used in biofertilizers to enhance conservation of the seagrass ecosystem.
published_date	2025-07-03T05:34:05Z
_version_	1858164800484278272
score	11.098395

Deciphering the seagrass microbiome for advanced ecosystem restoration / JOSEPH JONES

Similar Items