Frontiers | Subsurface Microbial Community Composition in Anchialine Environments Is Influenced by Original Organic Carbon Source at Time of Deposition
Prokaryotes constitute the majority of sedimentary biomass, where they cycle organic carbon and regulate organic matter transformation. The microbes inhabiting sediment are diverse, and the factors controlling microbial community composition are not fully understood. Here, we characterized the prokaryotic community using 16S rRNA gene sequencing in 24 stratigraphic layers within a 89 cm (dated to ~1900 years old) sediment core from an anchialine sinkhole in the Bahamas with a stratified water column and anoxic bottom water. The microbial community was dominated by members of the Alphaproteobac...