Benthic microbe marker gene sequences (DP1.20280.001)

Benthic microbe samples are collected at the same time and location as periphyton (microalgae) samples three times per year in wadeable streams during aquatic biology bout windows, roughly in spring, summer, and fall. Samples are collected using field-sterile methods using the most appropriate sampler for the habitat and substratum type, including rock scrubs, grab samples, and epiphyton. In wadeable streams, periphyton samples are collected in the two most dominant benthic habitat types (e.g. riffles, runs, pools, step pools). Cobble scrubs are filtered on 0.22 um Sterivex capsule filters, capped and flash-frozen in the field. Grab samples of sediment (silt, sand) or plant material/epiphyton are collected when appropriate. All samples are frozen on dry ice in the field and are shipped to an analytical facility for DNA extraction, sample preparation and high-throughput sequence analysis using primer sets targeting the ribosomal RNA gene operon. Laboratory metadata are passed through the NEON automated ingest process for QC testing and are published on the NEON data portal. DNA sequence data undergo QC testing and unique URLs are generated to enable data download.