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Down under the surface of the Adriatic Sea: benthic microbial communities and how anthropogenically-induced pollution affects them?

Recognizing multiple anthropogenic pressures in marine coastal zones, countries of the Mediterranean region have implemented several directives focused on sustainable management of the Mediterranean Sea coastal zones. One of the essential directives is the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), challenging countries, including Croatia, to achieve and maintain Good Environmental Status of their marine environment. The health of the marine environment is undeniably influenced by microorganisms which play a key role in functioning of marine food webs and biogeochemical cycling. The MSFD neglects the importance of microbial communities and possible changes in their function and structure under the anthropogenic influence influencing stability of the whole marine ecosystem. Project MicroLink, funded by the Croatian Science Foundation, aims to highlight the significance of microbial communities in monitoring and consequently preserving the quality of marine environment with the final goal to propose incorporation of the selected microbial attributes among MSFD Quality Descriptors. Sampling of 67 sediments was performed in seven harbors along the eastern Adriatic coast, which were previously identified as pollution “hot spots”. Sediments were comprehensively analyzed and parameters such as metal concentrations, Hg, TP, TN, TC, TBT, toxicity testing etc. were measured. To find the correlation between anthropogenic pollution and changes in the microbial communities, the project MicroLink integrates different approaches: i) multi-domain approach (analyzing changes in Bacteria, Archaea, Protists, and Fungi) and ii) multi-layer approach (changes in structure, microbial networks, abundance of functional genes and biodegradation potential). Due to continuous accumulation of pollutants, sediments and benthic microbial communities could be reliable indicators of the persisting exposure of the marine environment to anthropogenic pressures. Microbial communities should not be neglected in future strategies and measures for conservation of coastal and marine environments.

benthic microbial community ; marine sediments ; anthropogenic pollution ; Adriatic Sea ; Good Environmental Status (GES)

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