Community differentiation of bacterioplankton in the epipelagic layer in the South China Sea.

ABSTRACT: The South China Sea (SCS) is the largest marginal sea in the western tropical Pacific Ocean and is characterized by complex physicochemical environments. To date, the biogeographic patterns of the microbial communities have rarely been reported at a basin scale in the SCS. In this study, the bacterial assemblages inhabiting the epipelagic zone across 110°E to 119°E along 14°N latitude were uncovered. The vertical stratification of both bacterial taxa and their potential functions were revealed. These results suggest that the water depth-specific environment is a driver of the vertical bacterioplankton distribution. Moreover, the bacterial communities were different between the eastern stations and the western stations, where the environmental conditions were distinct. However, the mesoscal

SUBMITTER: Zhang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5980402 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature