Costa Rica Margin Subseafloor Microbial Community Analysis

Sequences in this study were obtained from DNA extractions of ocean sediment samples collected during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 334. They are from 2 drilling sites, denoted 1378 and 1379 according to the official IODP naming. The sites are located offshore of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, on the upper plate of the subduction zone between the Cocos and Caribbean plates. Site 1379 is on the upper slope while site 1378 can be considered mid-slope. The study also includes 2 control samples: one is a sample of the drilling fluid used during sample acquisition and the other is a sample that was passed through the DNA extraction kit to test for any contamination. Together, the sequences of this study were obtained in order to analyze the microbial communities residing in these sediments for both taxonomic and metabolic information.