ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Aquatic Microbiology
Monsoon-driven short-term temporal changes and geomorphological controls on bacterial community dynamics in Korean coastal lagoons
Provisionally accepted
- 1Jeju Fisheries Research Institute, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Jeju, Republic of Korea
- 2Division of Convergence on Marine Science, Korea Maritime & Ocean University, Busan, Republic of Korea
- 3Department of Marine Ecology and Environment, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, Republic of Korea
- 4Department of Marine Bioscience, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung 25457, Republic of Korea, Gangneung, Republic of Korea
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In this study, we investigated monsoon-driven short-term temporal changes in bacterial community composition in two contrasting coastal lagoons in Korea: Gyeongpoho (permanently open) and Hyangho (intermittently open). Using a metabarcoding approach with 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we analysed the bacterial diversity in these lagoons in relation to environmental variables before and after the monsoon season. Gyeongpoho exhibited greater variability in bacterial composition owing to the continuous seawater exchange, whereas Hyangho freshwater dominance resulted in a more stable microbial community. Salinity fluctuations driven by freshwater inflow significantly influenced microbial diversity, with distinct temporal shifts observed in the dominant bacterial taxa, including Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi. The prevalence of heterotrophic bacteria may be related to their roles in organic matter degradation and nutrient cycling, which are essential for maintaining ecosystem functions. The correlations between bacterial communities and environmental parameters, as revealed by self-organising map (SOM) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) analyses, emphasise the sensitivity of microbial assemblages to hydrological changes. Geomorphological characteristics and hydrological dynamics play important roles in shaping bacterial assemblages. These findings provide crucial insights into the ecological implications of lagoon hydrodynamics and microbial diversity in assessing ecosystem responses to environmental disturbances and climate variability.
Keywords: 16S rRNA sequencing, bacterial community, coastal wetlands, Ecosystem functioning, Hydrological variability, restoration
Received: 24 Nov 2025; Accepted: 29 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Kwak, Hwang, Kim, Han and Park. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hyun Je Park
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