Global patterns of bacterial beta-diversity in seafloor and seawater ecosystems.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Marine microbial communities have been essential contributors to global biomass, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity since the early history of Earth, but so far their community distribution patterns remain unknown in most marine ecosystems.

Methodology/principal findings

The synthesis of 9.6 million bacterial V6-rRNA amplicons for 509 samples that span the global ocean's surface to the deep-sea floor shows that pelagic and benthic communities greatly differ, at all taxonomic levels, and share <10% bacterial types defined at 3% sequence similarity level. Surface and deep water, coastal and open ocean, and anoxic and oxic ecosystems host distinct communities that reflect productivity, land influences and other environmental constraints such as oxygen availability. T

SUBMITTER: Zinger L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3169623 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature