Introducing the Mangrove Microbiome Initiative: Identifying Microbial Research Priorities and Approaches To Better Understand, Protect, and Rehabilitate Mangrove Ecosystems
Sarah M. Allard,
Matthew T. Costa,
Ashley N. Bulseco,
Véronique Helfer,
Laetitia G. E. Wilkins,
Christiane Hassenrück,
Karsten Zengler,
Martin Zimmer,
Natalia Erazo,
Jorge L. Mazza Rodrigues,
Norman Duke,
Vânia M. M. Melo,
Inka Vanwonterghem,
Howard Junca,
Huxley M. Makonde,
Diego Javier Jiménez,
Tallita C. L. Tavares,
Marco Fusi,
Daniele Daffonchio,
Carlos M. Duarte,
Raquel S. Peixoto,
Alexandre S. Rosado,
Jack A. Gilbert,
Jeff Bowman
Affiliations
Sarah M. Allard
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
Matthew T. Costa
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
Ashley N. Bulseco
Marine Science Discipline, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
Véronique Helfer
Department of Ecology, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
Laetitia G. E. Wilkins
Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
Christiane Hassenrück
Tropical Marine Microbiology, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
Karsten Zengler
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
Martin Zimmer
Department of Ecology, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
Natalia Erazo
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
Jorge L. Mazza Rodrigues
Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
Norman Duke
IUCN SSC-Mangrove Specialist Group
Vânia M. M. Melo
Microbial Ecology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
Inka Vanwonterghem
Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Department of Pure & Applied Sciences, Technical University of Mombasa, Mombasa, Kenya
Diego Javier Jiménez
Microbiomes and Bioenergy Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
Tallita C. L. Tavares
Marine Sciences Institute, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
Marco Fusi
Edinburgh Napier University School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Daniele Daffonchio
Red Sea Research Center, BESE, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, KAUST, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Carlos M. Duarte
Red Sea Research Center, BESE, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, KAUST, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Raquel S. Peixoto
Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
Alexandre S. Rosado
Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
Jack A. Gilbert
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
Jeff Bowman
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
ABSTRACT Mangrove ecosystems provide important ecological benefits and ecosystem services, including carbon storage and coastline stabilization, but they also suffer great anthropogenic pressures. Microorganisms associated with mangrove sediments and the rhizosphere play key roles in this ecosystem and make essential contributions to its productivity and carbon budget. Understanding this nexus and moving from descriptive studies of microbial taxonomy to hypothesis-driven field and lab studies will facilitate a mechanistic understanding of mangrove ecosystem interaction webs and open opportunities for microorganism-mediated approaches to mangrove protection and rehabilitation. Such an effort calls for a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach, involving chemists, ecologists, evolutionary biologists, microbiologists, oceanographers, plant scientists, conservation biologists, and stakeholders, and it requires standardized methods to support reproducible experiments. Here, we outline the Mangrove Microbiome Initiative, which is focused around three urgent priorities and three approaches for advancing mangrove microbiome research.
