Clear niche partitioning of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria from the bottom and the slope of Mariana Trench.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The hadal zone, characterized by extreme hydrostatic pressure and geographic isolation, hosts microbial communities uniquely adapted to these harsh conditions. While niche partitioning has been observed in other deep-sea environments, its existence within hadal trench ecosystems remains controversial. Focusing on the Mariana Trench, we investigated whether nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) exhibit depth-stratified ecological specialization between slope (6000-10,000 m) and bottom (> 10,000 m) sediments. By analysing the genomic features and ecological interactions of NOB, we aimed to resolve their functional roles in nitrogen cycling under distinct hadal microniches.

Results

We reconstructed 8 high-quality NOB metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from 58 sediment me

SUBMITTER: Lv Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12532881 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature