Assessment of prokaryotic communities in Southwestern Atlantic deep-sea sediments reveals prevalent methanol-oxidising Methylomirabilales.

ABSTRACT: Continental slopes can play a significant contribution to marine productivity and carbon cycling. These regions can harbour distinct geological features, such as salt diapirs and pockmarks, in which their depressions may serve as natural sediment traps where different compounds can accumulate. We investigated the prokaryotic communities in surface (0-2 cm) and subsurface (18-20 or 22-24 cm) sediments from a salt diapir and pockmark field in Santos Basin, Southwest Atlantic Ocean. Metabarcoding of 16 samples revealed that surface sediments were dominated by the archaeal class Nitrososphaeria, while the bacterial class Dehalococcoidia was the most prevalent in subsurface samples. Sediment strata were found to be a significant factor explaining 27% of the variability in community composition.

SUBMITTER: Peres FV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10406867 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature