ArticleFrontiers in microbiology2023
First shotgun metagenomics study of Juan de Fuca deep-sea sediments reveals distinct microbial communities above, within, between, and below sulfate methane transition zones.
Article in Frontiers in microbiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling unveil deep-sea microbial niches in the Atacama Trench.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Structure and Spatial Heterogeneity of Chemosynthesis-Based Deep-Sea Archaeal and Bacterial Communities in Western South Atlantic.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Decoding microbial diversity, biogeochemical functions, and interaction potentials in red sea hydrothermal vents.Environmental microbiome · 2025Article
- Comparative analysis of esophageal gland microbes between two body sizes ofMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Ubiquitous microbial contaminants associated with scientific ocean drilling.Access microbiology · 2025Article
- Distribution of methane-cycling archaea in buried ridge flank sediment: community zonation, activity, and potential environmental drivers.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
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4 authors.
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Abstract
The marine deep subsurface is home to a vast microbial ecosystem, affecting biogeochemical cycles on a global scale. One of the better-studied deep biospheres is the Juan de Fuca (JdF) Ridge, where hydrothermal fluid introduces oxidants into the sediment from below, resulting in two sulfate methane transition zones (SMTZs). In this study, we present the first shotgun metagenomics study of unamplified DNA from sediment samples from different depths in this stratified environment. Bioinformatic analyses showed a shift from a heterotrophic, Chloroflexota-dominated community above the upper SMTZ to a chemolithoautotrophic Proteobacteria-dominated community below the secondary SMTZ. The reintroduction of sulfate likely enables respiration and boosts active cells that oxidize acetate, iron, and complex carbohydrates to degrade dead biomass in this low-abundance, low-diversity environment. In addition, analyses showed many proteins of unknown function as well as novel metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). The study provides new insights into microbial communities in this habitat, enabled by an improved DNA extraction protocol that allows a less biased view of taxonomic composition and metabolic activities, as well as uncovering novel taxa. Our approach presents the first successful attempt at unamplified shotgun sequencing samples from beyond 50 meters below the seafloor and opens new ways for capturing the true diversity and functional potential of deep-sea sediments.
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