Bacterial communities in urban seagrass meadows

This study investigates how seagrass presence and absence influence bacterial community composition and potential pathogen abundance in tropical intertidal zones subjected to intense urban pressures. This dataset comprises 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequences derived from microbial community samples in coastal seawater collected at urban seagrass meadows around Singapore. Samples were collected from one of two main components of the study. The first component was a cross-sectional survey conducted across eight seagrass meadows, with paired sites sampled for seawater microbial communities - one with natural seagrass cover and one without. The second component consisted of a 12-month in-situ seagrass removal experiment. This dataset enables analysis of microbial community dynamics across spatial (urban seagrass-present vs. -absent) and temporal (12-month experimental) gradients in a tropical coastal setting. The study addresses the role of seagrasses in shaping microbial assemblages and influencing potential bioremediation of faecal indicator bacteria, such as Enterococcus, thus informing both coastal conservation strategies and water quality management.