Water column metagenomes from two Canadian Boreal Shield lakes

Following initial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (BioProject PRJNA354806), six selected genomic DNA samples collected from the anoxic zones of Lakes 227 and 442 (International Institute for Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area, AKA IISD-ELA; near Kenora, Ontario, Canada) were re-analyzed by metagenomic sequencing. The goal of the present study was to predict the metabolisms of distinct populations of anoxygenic photoautotrophs in the lake anoxic zones via genome-resolved metagenomics. More broadly, it is of interest to analyze the biogeochemical cycling potential of microbial populations in the lake anoxic zones, especially with respect to their potential involvement in the iron cycle, given the ferruginous nature of the lakes.