Controlled sampling of ribosomally active protistan diversity in sediment-surface layers identifies putative players in the marine carbon sink.

ABSTRACT: Marine sediments are one of the largest carbon reservoir on Earth, yet the microbial communities, especially the eukaryotes, that drive these ecosystems are poorly characterised. Here, we report implementation of a sampling system that enables injection of reagents into sediments at depth, allowing for preservation of RNA in situ. Using the RNA templates recovered, we investigate the 'ribosomally active' eukaryotic diversity present in sediments close to the water/sediment interface. We demonstrate that in situ preservation leads to recovery of a significantly altered community profile. Using SSU rRNA amplicon sequencing, we investigated the community structure in these environments, demonstrating a wide diversity and high relative abundance of stramenopiles and alveolates, specifically: B

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez-Martinez R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7082347 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature