Marine Aggregate and Bivalve Gut Microbiome. marine metagenome

Differences in gut microbial communities were evaluated between two species of bivalve molluscs, the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) collected from Long Island Sound, Connecticut over the course of a year. Marine aggregates and aggregate-free seawater were also collected for comparison. 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V4 region) was carried out to understand the relationship between aggregate-associated microbial communities and the gut microbiomes of suspension-feeding bivalves.