St. Croix Spawning Metegenomics

Metagenomic shotgun sequencing was used to profile microbial communities from marine sediment, water column, and mountainous star coral (Orbicella faveolata) samples collected across temporal, spatial, and genetic gradients during the annual spawning event in St. Croix, USVI. A reference-free approach was applied to characterize community composition, and metagenome-assembled genomes were recovered from environmental samples. These data support analyses of how environmental and biological factors structure coral reef microbiomes.