Table 2.
Overview of samples collected on each sampling date and seagrass host parameters.
| Sampling date | Sample category | Sample type | Sample type (detail) | Total leaf blade sampled (n) | No. of sample used for microbiome analyses (n) | Blade length (cm) | Blade width (cm) | Bacterial abundance (cells cm−2 or ml−1 or g−1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 4, 2019 | Plant parts (PP) | Leaves/phyllosphere | L1 | 12 | 8 | 75.5 ± 1.0 | 0.7 ± 0.1 | (6.1 ± 0.6) × 106 |
| L2 | 8 | 3 | 79.2 ± 1.3 | 0.7 ± 0.1 | (8.5 ± 0.7) × 106 | |||
| L3 | 8 | 3 | 80.7 ± 3.4 | 0.8 ± 0.1 | (1.5 ± 0.0) × 107 | |||
| L4 | 10 | 3 | 62.1 ± 1.3 | 0.6 ± 0.1 | (8.1 ± 1.2) × 106 | |||
| Rooting zone | Root-rhizome (RR) | – | 3 | – | – | (5.2 ± 0.0) × 107 | ||
| Surrounding environments | Seawater | Eelgrass surrounding water (ESW): inside | – | a(3 × 3) | – | – | b(5.3 ± 0.4) × 106 | |
| Sediment | Rhizosphere sediment (RS): inside | – | 3 | – | – | c(1.1 ± 0.2) × 108 | ||
| Control environments | Seawater | Bulk water (BSW): outside | – | a(3 × 3) | – | – | b(3.2 ± 1.0) × 106 | |
| Sediment | Bulk sediment (BS): outside | – | 3 | – | – | – | ||
| September 30, 2019 | Plant parts (PP) | Leaves/phyllosphere | L1 | 8 | 3 | 61.2 ± 1.1 | 0.6 ± 0.1 | (5.1 ± 0.1) × 106 |
| L2 | 8 | 3 | 68.6 ± 2.0 | 0.7 ± 0.1 | (6.2 ± 0.4) × 106 | |||
| L3 | 8 | 3 | 70.0 ± 2.0 | 0.8 ± 0.1 | (1.0 ± 0.1) × 107 | |||
| L4 | 10 | 3 | 57.6 ± 4.9 | 0.6 ± 0.1 | (1.1 ± 0.2) × 107 | |||
| Rooting zone | Root-rhizome (RR) | – | 3 | – | – | (2.7 ± 0.3) × 107 | ||
| Surrounding environments | Seawater | Eelgrass surrounding water (ESW): inside | – | a(3 × 3) | – | – | b(4.2 ± 0.5) × 106 | |
| Sediment | Rhizosphere sediment (RS): inside | – | 3 | – | – | c(2. 3 ± 0.1) × 108 |
(a) Three (3) replicate samples of three (3) seawater microenvironments (i.e., total, particle-associated, and free-living fraction). (b) Bacterial abundance (cells ml−1) in a seawater sample. (c) Bacterial abundance (cells g−1) in sediment samples (values represent the mean of three replicates ± standard deviation). L1 (youngest), L2 (middle age), L3 (oldest), and L4 (decayed) leaves.