Unveiling the participation of microbiomes in the trait formation of economically important Pyropia haitanensis varieties

Microbial communities are increasingly recognized as pivotal drivers of phenotypic and agronomic trait formation in plant, yet their roles in shaping varietal differentiation in economic seaweeds remain underexplored. Here, we leveraged Pyropia haitanensis, a commercially vital seaweed with distinct cultivated varieties as a model system to investigate how host-associated microbiomes contribute to intervarietal trait divergence. Three genetically distinct varieties (ZD-2, MF-2, SF-2) were cultivated under identical marine conditions, and their epiphytic microbial communities were analyzed using shotgun metagenomics alongside seawater microbiota. These findings demonstrate that varietal traits in P. haitanensis are intricately linked to variety-specific microbial recruitment, offering a microbiome-driven framework for breeding programs and ecological applications.