16S amplicons of microbial communities of cold water coral mound Rockall metagenome. coral metagenome

This study characterizes the microbial community composition over Haas Mound, one of themost prominent cold-water coral mounds of the Logachev Mound Province (Rockall Bank, NE Atlantic). We outline patterns of distribution, vertically--from the seafloor to the water column-- and laterally --across the mound-- and couple these to mound topography and hydrography. Samples of water, sediment and Lophelia pertusa were collected in 2012 and 2013 from locations that were chosen based on high definition video surveys. Temperature and current measurements were obtained at two sites at the summit and foot of Haas Mound to study near-bed hydrodynamic conditions. Overlaying water was collected from depths of 400 m as well as 5 and 10 m above the bottom using a CTD/Rosette system. Near-bottom water, sediment, and L. pertusa mucus and skeleton samples were obtained with a box-corer. Of all these biotopes, Roche GS-FLX amplicon sequencing targeting both Bacteria and Archaea was carried out, augmenting our understanding of deep sea microbial consortia.