Microbiome of Zostera marina seagrass in the Baltic Sea

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a marine foundation species essential for coastal ecosystem services around the northernhemisphere. Like all macroscopic organisms, it possesses a microbiome which may play critical roles in modulating the interactionof eelgrass with its environment. For example, its leaf surface microbiome could inhibit or attract eukaryotic epibionts whichmay overgrow the eelgrass leading to reduced primary productivity and subsequent eelgrass meadow decline. We used ampliconsequencing of the 16S and 18S rRNA genes of prokaryotes and eukaryotes to assess the leaf surface microbiome (prokaryotes) aswell as eukaryotic epibionts in- and outside lagoons on the German Baltic Sea coast. We addressed biotic and environmental drivers of microbiome community composition and diversity as well as the effect of DNA preservation and extraction bias on perceived community structure.