Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41753654›Full record

ArticleMicroorganisms2026

Evaluation of the Bacterial Diversity in the World's Deepest Cave-Veryovkina, Arabika Massif, Western Caucasus.

Yordan Hodzhev, Violeta Zhelyazkova, Nia Toshkova, Anna S Barashkova, Borislava Tsafarova, Stefan Panaiotov, Pavel Stoev

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Microorganisms, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Yordan HodzhevDepartment of Natural Sciences, New Bulgarian University, 1618 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0002-7770-3316
Violeta ZhelyazkovaNational Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0001-9381-2208
Nia ToshkovaNational Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0003-4217-5653
Anna S BarashkovaShemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), ul. Miklukho-Maklaya, 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia.ORCID 0000-0002-3455-2335
Borislava TsafarovaNational Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0002-8183-3869
Stefan PanaiotovNational Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0001-9997-5198
Pavel StoevNational Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0002-5702-5677

Funding

Bulgarian Science Fund KP-06-N-51/9-2021Procedure BG16RFPR002-1.014 "Sustainable development of Centers of Excellence and Centers of Competence, including specific infrastructures or their associations of the NRRI", Program "Research, Innovation and Digitalization for Smart Transformation 202 BG16RFPR002-1.014-0017
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Veryovkina Cave is the world's deepest known cave (2212 m deep). It is located in the Arabika Massif of Gagra Mountain in the Western Caucasus. Its microbiome remains unknown because of difficulties in access. Ten sediment samples were collected at vertical depths ranging from 300 m to 2204 m; they varied by substrate type, moisture content, and visitor accessibility. Total microbial DNA was isolated, and 16S ribosomal gene metabarcoding was applied for taxonomic identification. Seven samples showed reliable content, whereas three samples indicated no recoverable reads. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the most abundant phyla in total. Depth stratification of microbiota showed that (1) shallow wet clays were dominated by Acidimicrobia and Actinobacteria; (2) mid-depth wet clays showed the highest abundance of Nitrospira, Betaproteobacteria, and Vicinamibacter; and (3) deep, dry substrates were dominated by Thermoleophilia and Rubrobacteria. Multivariate analyses showed that substrate type and moisture tended to explain more variation in microbial abundance than depth or human activity. We demonstrate the presence of distinct ecological niches within the cave ecosystem, which emphasizes the role of local conditions in shaping microbial diversity.

Indexed as

16S rRNA amplicon sequencingcave microbiotaVeryovkina Cave

Identifiers

PMID41753654
PMCPMC12942678

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.