LAUSR

Zostera marina is a perennial seagrass that is widespread on temperate coasts around the world. Some studies have showed that the presence of Z. marina in marine environments influences the microbial communities in sediment collected from Shuangdao Bay of China. To investigate the impact of Z. marina, the environmental factors and microbial communities in sediments collected in the eelgrass beds and adjacent unvegetated area, were examined. Several environmental factors and microbial communities composition differed significantly between the two areas. The content of total-phosphate and NH4-N in the sediments of eelgrass beds were lower than the sediments of the unvegetated area, while the bacterial abundance and diversity in eelgrass bed were greater than that of unvegetated area. The most abundant bacteria found in sediments were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes and Acidobacteria, while the bacterial community structures were significantly different between the two areas. The changes found in the environmental factors and microbial communities were mainly attributed to the presence of Z. marina. This study may provide further understanding of the effects of Z. marina, which may be vital to the regulation of the marine environment.