Metabarcoding assessment of prokaryotic and eukaryotic taxa in sediments from Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

ABSTRACT: Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) in the Gulf of Maine is a historic fishing ground renowned for remarkable productivity. Biodiversity conservation is a key management priority for SBNMS and yet data on the diversity of microorganisms, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic, is lacking. This study utilized next generation sequencing to characterize sedimentary communities within SBNMS at three sites over two seasons. Targeting 16S and 18S small subunit (SSU) rRNA genes and fungal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) rDNA sequences, samples contained high diversity at all taxonomic levels and identified 127 phyla, including 115 not previously represented in the SBNMS Management Plan and Environmental Assessment. A majority of the diversity was bacterial, with 59 phyla, but also repres

SUBMITTER: Polinski JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6794287 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature