Dr. Avishek Dutta new publication in Frontiers in Microbiology

Frontiers in Microbiology: "Depth drives the distribution of microbial ecological functions in the coastal western Antarctic Peninsula"

Authors:

Avishek Dutta, ^{1 , 2 , 3}, Elizabeth Connors, ¹ Rebecca Trinh, ⁴ Natalia Erazo, ¹ Srishti Dasarathy, ¹ Hugh W. Ducklow, ⁴ Deborah K. Steinberg, ⁵ Oscar M. Schofield, ⁶ and Jeff S. Bowman ^{1 , 7}

_{¹Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States 
²Department of Geology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States 
³Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, United States 
⁴Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, United Stat 
⁵Department of Biological Science, College of William & Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA, United States      
⁶Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States          
⁷Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States}

Abstract:

The Antarctic marine environment is a dynamic ecosystem where microorganisms play an important role in key biogeochemical cycles. Despite the role that microbes play in this ecosystem, little is known about the genetic and metabolic diversity of Antarctic marine microbes. In this study, we leveraged DNA samples collected by the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project to sequence shotgun metagenomes of samples collected across the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula. We developed an in silico metagenomics pipeline (iMAGine) for processing metagenomic data and constructing metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), identifying a diverse genomic repertoire related to the carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen cycles. Our results showed that microbial community functions were partitioned based on depth. Bacterial members harbored diverse genes for carbohydrate transformation, indicating the availability of processes to convert complex carbons into simpler bioavailable forms. In particular, the presence of mixotrophic prokaryotes capable of autotrophic and heterotrophic lifestyles indicated a metabolically flexible community, which we hypothesize enables survival under rapidly changing conditions. Overall, the study identified key microbial community functions and highlighted the novel genetic and metabolic diversity of Antarctic marine ecosystems.  For more information search the

 _{^{doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1168507}}