Microbial communities of sediments in a land-ocean transect of a California salt marsh

The Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve (CSMR) is a natural salt marsh located about 15 miles south of Santa Barbara, California, USA. The CSMR sediments exhibit unique geochemical signatures which differ spatially with increasing sediment depth and across the surface waters. Analysis, characterizations and comparisons of the sediment microbial communities in 4 stations across a north-south transect of the CSMR provide insights into the groups responsible for cycling organic and inorganic materials in the salt marsh.