Fungal and bacterial community composition of Ecklonia radiata degradation in beach sand Metagenome

This study investigates the role of fungi in the degradation and remineralization of Ecklonia radiata detritus, a dominant macroalgae in coastal ecosystems contributing significantly to global carbon and sulfur cycles. Using a controlled mesocosm experiment, we examined shifts in fungal and bacterial communities during the initial and advanced stages of E. radiata degradation over 21 days. We compared microbial community composition and functionality between blade and stipe tissues, employing next-generation sequencing (NGS), FunGuild, FungalTraits, and PiCrust2 databases for functional predictions.