ALBERT

Description: Highlights: - Microbiota manipulation has been used to improve the health and performance of several eukaryotes (e.g., humans, agricultural plants, and aquaculture animals), yet until recently remained unexplored for seaweeds. - Seaweed cultivation is the largest aquaculture industry by volume and is rapidly expanding. Technological innovations are needed to improve productivity and meet future global demands. - Bacteria are known to promote growth, assist reproduction, and improve disease resistance in seaweeds. - Knowledge of seaweed–bacterial symbioses has recently been applied to manipulate host microbiota with demonstrated benefits to seaweeds at the laboratory scale. This provides a realistic and practical opportunity to use these at the scale required for seaweed aquaculture and environmental restoration. Eukaryotic hosts are associated with microbial communities that are critical to their function. Microbiota manipulation using beneficial microorganisms, for example, in the form of animal probiotics or plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs), can enhance host performance and health. Recently, seaweed beneficial microorganisms (SBMs) have been identified that promote the growth and development and/or improve disease resistance of seaweeds. This knowledge coincides with global initiatives seeking to expand and intensify seaweed aquaculture. Here, we provide a pathway with the potential to improve commercial cultivation of seaweeds through microbiota manipulation, highlighting that seaweed restoration practices can also benefit from further understanding SBMs and their modes of action. The challenges and opportunities of different approaches to identify and apply SBMs to seaweed aquaculture are discussed.