Pacific North West sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus microbiome (raw 16S rRNA gene NextGen sequencing data)

The sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is a dominant grazer of low intertidal pool biomass on the coasts of Oregon, USA, and is a deuterostome echinoderm that represents a simple gut system in a relatively straightforward model. The sea urchin gut system is unique in that immediately following food ingestion, the feed will encapsulate in a thick mucus layer at the pharynx. These digesta pellets will be sequestered physically from the luminal gut tissue surface. The mechanisms nutrients are acquired by the sea urchin digestive system is not well understood.