Bacterial communities associated with six sponge species in the cold seep

Sponges were collected from the Site F cold seep in the SCS during the scientific cruise of Research Vessel KEXUE organized by the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2021. The cold seep covers a long circular area and a sponge ground was found on the rocks surrounding this area. We brought back rocks from the seafloor and collected the samples on board. Our sponge samples were collected from three stations: station 267 (119.285636E, 22.115354N; 13 June 2021), station ZD-10 (119.285152E, 22.115256N; 1164 m depth; 18 June 2021), and station ZD-7 (119.284662E, 22.114870N; 1208 m depth; 14 June 2021). Among these, station 267 was located closest to the seepage, while station ZD-7 was the farthest.