Groundwater and seawater prokaryotic communities of the Mar Menor lagoon during two seasons

Coastal lagoons are habitats with high biological productivity, supporting rich and abundant ecosystems and providing goods and services for coastal communities. However, the increased human stress on lagoonal resources has negatively impacted these ecosystems. Well-known consequences of anthropogenic pressures on coastal lagoons include increased inputs of nutrients and pollutants, which are mainly originated from untreated domestic or industrial sewage and the use of fertilizers for agriculture in the surrounding watershed. The objective of this project was to study the microbial dimension of submarine groundwater discharge in coastal areas of the Mar Menor lagoon, considering the diversity, functional potential and connectivity of microbial communities at this terrestrial-marine interface.