Metagenomics of sedimentary prokaryotes through a salinity gradient in the Colombian Pacific

In this study, the sedimentary prokaryotic distribution was analyzed through a salinity gradient in the Colombian Pacific (Magüipi-Buenaventura) using metagenomics. 325 OTUs were identified, and 150,920 functions were annotated with SEED. From river to ocean the abundance of Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi decreased, while that of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria increased. Anaeromyxobacter was the only genus identified in all the samples, and diversity indices increased with salinity. The functional potencial differed in genes related to sulphuf and nitrogen metabolism, organic carbon degradation and membrane transporters. River, mangrove and beach prokaryotic communities differ in their taxonomic compositoin and metabolic contribution related with biogeochemical cycles, and their distribution through the salinity gradient is positively related to the environmental variables charachteristic of each biome.