Metagenetic community analysis of microbial eukaryotes illuminates biogeographic patterns in deep-sea and shallow water sediments.

ABSTRACT: Microbial eukaryotes (nematodes, protists, fungi, etc., loosely referred to as meiofauna) are ubiquitous in marine sediments and probably play pivotal roles in maintaining ecosystem function. Although the deep-sea benthos represents one of the world's largest habitats, we lack a firm understanding of the biodiversity and community interactions amongst meiobenthic organisms in this ecosystem. Within this vast environment, key questions concerning the historical genetic structure of species remain a mystery, yet have profound implications for our understanding of global biodiversity and how we perceive and mitigate the impact of environmental change and anthropogenic disturbance. Using a metagenetic approach, we present an assessment of microbial eukaryote communities across depth (shallow w

SUBMITTER: Bik HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3261328 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature