Microbial community dynamics mediate rapid biomass loss and phosphorus recycling in pelagic Sargassum
- 1Laboratory of Photobiology and Functional Allometry, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Puerto Morelos, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- 2Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California
Abstract
Sargassum blooms in the tropical North Atlantic have surged to unprecedented levels, causing massive algal tides that severely impact coastal ecosystems. To improve the current understanding of Sargassum biomass dynamics and the contribution of this productive algal bloom to carbon and nutrient fluxes between the Atlantic and the Caribbean, we characterized the growth and decomposition rates of this pelagic alga, nutrient release rates during litter decay, and the bacterial microbiome at several stages of this decay. The analysis revealed no exceptional growth under increased nutrient availability but a rapid biomass mineralization with a litter half-life of 16 days, comparable to phytoplankton. This fast decomposition triggers swift nutrient release, notably phosphorus, which fuels coastal eutrophication and may help explain oxygen depletion and toxic gas emission during massive beaching events. A microbial succession involving chemoheterotrophic and nitrogen-fixing bacteria predicts functions involved in the biomineralization of nitrogen and phosphorus-containing compounds that may facilitate such efficient phosphorus mineralization, supporting similar patterns in marine debris to terrestrial plant litter, where nutrients drive stage-specific patterns in microbial community succession during litter decomposition. Our results underscore the pivotal role of microbial communities in enhancing algal resilience to nutrient deprivation—through the establishment of mutualistic associations with their host—and in mediating global carbon and nutrient fluxes, an aspect of particular relevance to the marine phosphorus cycle. Ultimately, this study emphasizes the severe ecological threat that massive Sargassum tides pose to marine health and public safety at the coast.
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BibTeX
@article{velazquezochoa2026microbial,
title = {{Microbial community dynamics mediate rapid biomass loss and phosphorus recycling in pelagic Sargassum}},
author = {Roberto Velázquez-Ochoa and Vivian Y. Li and Wiebke E. Krämer and Mónica Medina and Susana Enríquez},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1918885},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1918885/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Microbial community dynamics mediate rapid biomass loss and phosphorus recycling in pelagic Sargassum
AU - Roberto Velázquez-Ochoa
AU - Vivian Y. Li
AU - Wiebke E. Krämer
AU - Mónica Medina
AU - Susana Enríquez
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1918885
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1918885/full
AB - Sargassum blooms in the tropical North Atlantic have surged to unprecedented levels, causing massive algal tides that severely impact coastal ecosystems. To improve the current understanding of Sargassum biomass dynamics and the contribution of this productive algal bloom to carbon and nutrient fluxes between the Atlantic and the Caribbean, we characterized the growth and decomposition rates of this pelagic alga, nutrient release rates during litter decay, and the bacterial microbiome at several stages of this decay. The analysis revealed no exceptional growth under increased nutrient availability but a rapid biomass mineralization with a litter half-life of 16 days, comparable to phytoplankton. This fast decomposition triggers swift nutrient release, notably phosphorus, which fuels coastal eutrophication and may help explain oxygen depletion and toxic gas emission during massive beaching events. A microbial succession involving chemoheterotrophic and nitrogen-fixing bacteria predicts functions involved in the biomineralization of nitrogen and phosphorus-containing compounds that may facilitate such efficient phosphorus mineralization, supporting similar patterns in marine debris to terrestrial plant litter, where nutrients drive stage-specific patterns in microbial community succession during litter decomposition. Our results underscore the pivotal role of microbial communities in enhancing algal resilience to nutrient deprivation—through the establishment of mutualistic associations with their host—and in mediating global carbon and nutrient fluxes, an aspect of particular relevance to the marine phosphorus cycle. Ultimately, this study emphasizes the severe ecological threat that massive Sargassum tides pose to marine health and public safety at the coast.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -