16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of skin microbial communities sampled from Antarctic fur seal mother-offspring pairs from two breeding colonies with differing social densities.

Skin microbiome samples were obtained from 48 Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) mother-offspring pairs from two adjacent breeding colonies on Bird Island, South Georgia by rubbing a cotton swab across the animal's cheek, underneath the eye and behind the snout. Bacterial DNA was extracted from the swabs and the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified using primers 341F/805R. Pooled amplicon libraries were then 300bp paired-end sequenced on a single MiSeq lane.