What services do bacteria provide marine plants?
The primary goal of my research is to identify microbial services that promote seagrass growth. Specifically, I have found bacteria produce phytohormones, detoxify sulfides, fix nitrogen, and dozens of other remarkable feature which support plant growth. I have cultivated a collection of over 450 bacterial isolates, many of which possess these beneficial traits and represent novel species. Using in vitro assays, I have assessed their functions, and combined whole-genome sequencing to help uncover key metabolic pathways and traits that could be of use to the plant. Additionally, I am conducting a seasonal metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, and metabolomic study to track microbial patterns associated with seagrass growth and senescence.
Seagrasses are marine flowering plants that evolved from land plants.
Thriving in coastal regions, they provide critical habitat for commercial fisheries, stabilize shorelines, buffer against ocean acidification, and sequester atmospheric CO₂. However, human-driven disturbances, including climate change, threaten their survival. My Ph.D. research explores whether we can leverage the seagrass microbiome to promote growth and enhance resilience to environmental stress.
On land, plant productivity is closely tied to microbial services
such as nitrogen fixation and pathogen defense. Seagrasses also associate with microorganisms that likely offer similar benefits. A proven strategy for enhancing terrestrial plant growth is the addition of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to soils.
Some PGPR produce phytohormones—plant-signaling molecules that regulate key physiological processes like cell elongation and division. One such phytohormone, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), not only stimulates plant growth but also helps shape the plant microbiome. While the role of IAA-producing bacteria is well established in terrestrial plants, little is known about their function in marine angiosperms.
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