Cave Biofilm Metagenome Targeted loci environmental

Subaerial biofilms grow at the interface between the atmosphere and rock surfaces in terrestrial and subterranean environments. The purpose of this study was to characterize and quantify taxonomic groups capable of specific metabolic functions living on cave walls. Sampling took place at various times from 2015 through 2020 in caves in eastern Tennessee and Kentucky. Total nucleic acids were extracted from the biofilms. For 2015 data, the V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified by PCR (with primers 27F/534R) and sequenced on the 454 GS FLX Titanium platform. Sequences from 2018 and 2020 are of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene (with primers 515F/806R) and sequenced with Illumina MiSeq platform.