Metabolic capacity is maintained despite shifts in microbial diversity in estuary sediments.

ABSTRACT: Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems where microbial communities drive nutrient and carbon cycling, supporting complex food webs. With intensifying anthropogenic pressures, it is critical to understand the capacity of these communities to maintain essential functions under environmental change. Here, we examined the metabolic functions and redundancy in the microbial community of San Francisco Bay (SFB) sediments, providing the first large-scale, genome-resolved, and spatiotemporally resolved characterization of the estuary. Salinity, iron, phosphorus, sulfur, and total sediment nitrogen were significantly correlated with microbial community composition, suggesting these factors play a key role in structuring SFB communities. In support of this, we identified broad capabilities for i

SUBMITTER: Langwig MV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12687941 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature