Marine sediment incubations Transcriptome or Gene expression. marine sediment metagenome

Microorganisms can impact phosphorus (P) cycling in aquatic sediments by accumulating and hydrolyzing intracellular polyphosphate (poly-P). In particular, poly-P utilization by large sulfur bacteria has been implicated in phosphate mineral formation in hypoxic marine zones, and might constitute an important sink in the global P cycle. Here, we combined incubation experiments with metatranscriptomics to compare microbial poly-P utilization in sediments exposed to different redox conditions. We incubated sediments from two locations: methane-seep sediments collected near Barbados that had a white sulfur-oxidizing biofilm community at the sediment-water interface, and sulfidic Santa Barbara Basin (SBB) sediments with no visible sulfur-oxidizing mat.