Lophelia pertusa Metagenomes. Lophelia pertusa

Ten unique colonies of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa were sampled in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico to examine their microbial metagenomes. Previous studies have examined the bacterial associates of this coral, but to date, no cold-water coral metagenomes have been published. This analysis will characterize and identify microbes (bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes, viruses) associated with L. pertusa, and also provide a first look at the functional/metabolic capabilities of the L. pertusa microbiome. Replicates will allow analysis of variation between individuals and between the four collection sites.