Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs), including seagrass meadows, saltmarshes, and</p><p>mangrove forests, are responsible for storing disproportionately more carbon per</p><p>hectare than their terrestrial counterparts making them valuable ecosystems and key</p><p>elements in global carbon stocks. The role of microbial communities in these BCEs</p><p>in the accumulation and preservation of organic carbon (Corg) is poorly understood.</p><p>In this study, sediment from the three BCEs at the Nahoon Estuary, a Warm</p><p>Temperate South African estuary, were collected to characterise the microbial</p><p>community. Sediment microbiome was taxonomically characterised using</p><p>sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to identify a core blue carbon sediment</p><p>microbiome and investigate associations with Corg storage rates