Costa Rica Margin Subseafloor Microbial Community Analysis. Costa Rica Margin Subseafloor Biosphere

Sequences in this study were obtained from DNA extractions of ocean sediment samples collected during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 334, as well as supporting samples described below. The sediment samples 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 from a sample of the drilling fluid used during sample acquisition, and one from a sterile water sample that was passed through the DNA extraction kit to test for any contamination. Further, 2 additional samples are included, which were used during the testing of 16S rRNA primers used in the study: a surface seawater sample obtained during IODP Expedition 334, and an effluent sample from a laboratory-scale anaerobic digester. Together, the sequences of this study were obtained in order to analyze the microbial communities residing in the Costa Rica margin subseafloor sediments for both taxonomic and metabolic information.