Spatial variations in microbial community composition in surface seawater from the ultra-oligotrophic center to rim of the South Pacific Gyre.

ABSTRACT: Surface seawater in the South Pacific Gyre (SPG) is one of the cleanest oceanic environments on earth, and the photosynthetic primary production is extremely low. Despite the ecological significance of the largest aquatic desert on our planet, microbial community composition in the ultra-oligotrophic seawater remain largely unknown. In this study, we collected surface seawater along a southern transect of the SPG during the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 329. Samples from four distinct sites (Sites U1368, U1369, U1370 and U1371) were examined, representing ~5400 kilometers of transect line from the gyre heart to the edge area. Real-time PCR analysis showed 16S rRNA gene abundance in the gyre seawater, ranging from 5.96×10(5) to 2.55×10(6) copies ml(-1) for Bacteria and

SUBMITTER: Yin Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3566182 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature