ArticleEnvironmental microbiome2025
Eelgrass microbiome and disease dynamics under field and lab heat stress.
Article in Environmental microbiome, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundThe interaction between host microbiomes, pathogen diversity, and environmental stress is a critical but understudied mechanism shaping disease outcomes in marine foundation species. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) suffering from wasting disease, caused by the protist Labyrinthula zosterae, offers a powerful system with which to probe this interaction. We conducted complementary laboratory experimentation and field surveys to examine three main questions: (1) whether thermal stress compromises the eelgrass microbiome and exacerbates disease outcomes; (2) whether different isolates of L. zosterae differ in virulence and their effects on the host microbiome; and (3) whether laboratory-derived microbiome signatures of heat stress correspond with those observed in the field. In the lab, we exposed eelgrass pieces to two temperature regimes (11 °C vs. 19 °C) and inoculated with two L. zosterae strains. We tracked lesion development, pathogen load via qPCR, and epiphytic microbiome dynamics via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In parallel, we tagged and sampled intact intertidal eelgrass in situ at Fourth of July Beach, San Juan Island, Washington, before and after a three-day heat stress event, tracking tissue damage, growth, and microbiome dynamics.
resultsIn the lab, elevated temperature significantly heightened wasting disease severity across both pathogen isolates, with no significant difference in virulence between them. High temperatures in the lab also led to more pronounced diseased-induced microbiome dysbiosis: community composition shifted, and a greater number of microbial taxa changed in abundance relative to controls, including Colwelliaceae. Both lab and field heat stress decreased microbiome diversity with intertidal eelgrass experiencing extensive tissue damage and reduced growth.
conclusionsWarming accelerates wasting disease progression in Z. marina by some combination of microbiome disruption, enhanced pathogen virulence, or compromised host defenses. Although pathogen strain identity had limited influence, temperature emerged as a dominant driver of both disease outcomes and microbiome shifts. While temperature stress in the lab and field was not comparable in duration and intensity, we show consistent trends towards microbiome dysbiosis characterized by changes in diversity and taxon abundance. Exploring the four-way interaction among host, microbiome, pathogen, and environment promises deeper insights for forecasting disease outbreaks and bolstering resilience in eelgrass ecosystems.
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