Metagenomics - Survival E. coli in beach sand

We employed an approach that combined in situ microcosm experiments with population-level genomic analysis to identify accessory genes associated with survival within the beach sand environment. E. coli originally isolated from sand, sewage, or gull waste (n=564 total) were seeded into sand, sealed in microcosm chambers, and buried for 45 days in the backshore beach of Lake Michigan. Survival-associated functions were identified by comparing the genetic composition of populations from the beginning and end of the microcosm experiment through metagenomic sequencing and identification of loci enriched in the output samples.