Milos Island hydrothermal vent metagenome. hydrothermal vent metagenome

Paleochori Bay of Milos Island is a hydrothermal site of deeply-sourced sulfidic fluids highly enriched in arsenic. In 2014, we sampled sediments and porewaters, extracted DNA, and sequenced the 16S gene. Preliminary data indicated demonstrable changes in microbial communities with depth, transitioning from bacteria-dominated to archaea-dominated. Many of the 16S sequences are related to known arsenic respiring and detoxifying microbes. We carried out metagenomic sequencing of three sediment samples to probe the genetic potential of these communities to metabolize arsenic and other metals, and to investigate the underlying biogeochemical mechanisms at arsenic-enriched hydrothermal sites. PIs: Guang-Sin Lui and Jan Amend, University of Southern California.