Bacterial diversity in the surface sediments of the hypoxic zone near the Changjiang Estuary and in the East China Sea.

ABSTRACT: Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary has experienced severe hypoxia since the 1950s. In order to investigate potential ecological functions of key microorganisms in relation to hypoxia, we performed 16S rRNA-based Illumina Miseq sequencing to explore the bacterial diversity in the surface sediments of the hypoxic zone near the Changjiang Estuary and in the East China Sea (ECS). The results showed that numerous Proteobacteria-affiliated sequences in the sediments of the inner continental shelf were related to both sulfate-reducing and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, suggesting an active sulfur cycle in this area. Many sequences retrieved from the hypoxic zone were also related to Planctomycetes from two marine upwelling systems, which may be involved in the initial breakdown of sulfated heteropoly

SUBMITTER: Ye Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4831476 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature