Insights into the bacterial biofilm community of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica and description of novel Planctomycetes - Genome sequencing and assembly. Planctomycetes species

Marine grasses belong to the group of submerged flowering plants, which are globally abundant in the oceans. Predominant in the Mediterranean Sea are plants of the genus Posidonia. The most abundant species, Posidonia oceanica, forms large meadows across the ocean floor which pose as breeding ground for several species of fish, influence food webs by retaining nutrient accumulations in the otherwise oligotrophic surrounding water and shape the marine environment by stabilizing ocean floor substrates and enhancing habitable area spaces. Even though P. oceanica is among the most important species of plants in the medditeranean area, knowledge about the epiphytic microorganismic community, especially attached living bacteria, is scarce. In this study, employing selective cultivation media, we isolated two novel strains of planctomycetes, which represent two novel genera within the phylum.