Eelgrass microbiome and disease dynamics under field and lab heat stress

Warming 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.