Understanding the role of microbial community in afforested and reforested mangrove ecosystems in the United Arab Emirates

          Soil microorganisms, in association with mangrove trees, play an important role in supporting the foundation of the ecosystem functions. Understanding the microbial contributions to mangrove ecosystem function and stability is essential for effective conservation and management. Currently, mangroves face heightened vulnerability to the repercussions of global warming. Factors such as elevated temperatures, rising sea level, increased flooding frequency and duration, and salinity fluctuations impact microbial diversity within these ecosystems. Identification and understanding of the core microbiota and mangrove microbial biodiversity remains scarce, specifically in the arid region. This research aims to provide insights into microbial strategies for coping with environmental change, contributing to sustainable mangrove management and ecosystem resilience in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and beyond.

          The UAE government has initiated extensive mangrove afforestation efforts to safeguard coastal environments, yet comparisons between afforested and reforested strategies in terms of microbial community dynamics remain sparse. Considration of microbial communities in mangrove restoration projects is an important key enhance establishment, growth and stress tolerance of mangrove trees as well as enhance the success of the initiatives. In this study, two afforested sites (Ras Al Khor wildlife sanctuary and Jebel Ali wildlife sanctuary, Dubai) and a reforested site (Khor Al Beidah, Umm Al Quwain) in the UAE were selected, with their forest ages approximately >30, <10, and >14 years, respectively. Topsoil samples were collected from grey mangrove (Avicennia marina) forests and surrounding non-vegetated area and salt marshes for two seasons.

          Current findings revealed that Jebel Ali site (<10 years) had sandy coarse textured soil, less soil organic matter, and more fluctuating pH with seasonal changes in comparison to the other older sites. This research hypothesizes that age, conservation efforts and physiochemical properties of soil in afforested and reforested mangrove sites are the primary determinants of microbial biodiversity in the soils. We present a comparative study of the microbiota against the physiochemical characteristics of the soils. It is predicted that specific microbial communities will be found across different tidal zones (seaward and landward), and seasons. Along the environmental gradient, specific microbiota are expected to be associated with and adapted to the environmental conditions.