Location shapes fungal communities in seagrass Halophilia ovalis across the Malay Peninsula

Distributed across both the tropical Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the seagrass Halophilia ovalis is an important food source for megaherbivores such as dugongs. However, seagrass meadows globally are under severe duress due to both climate change and anthropogenic activities. We characterised the mycobiome of Halophilia ovalis over seven sites in the Malay Peninsula using the ITS1 rDNA sequence. The mycobiome of plants are known to exert a strong effect on plant health, which is a critical factor to consider in future conservation efforts. We propose that future transplantation and restoration work should consider the importance of seagrass mycobiomes across site, in order to maximise the success of such efforts.