The Meso- and Bathypelagic Archaeal and Bacterial Communities of the Southern Gulf of Mexico Are Dominated by Nitrifiers and Hydrocarbon Degraders
The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is a complex oceanic basin with a maximum depth of 4000 m. It is a complex hydrodynamic system formed by different water masses with distinctive physical and biological characteristics that shape its rich biodiversity. In this study, as a contribution to better understanding...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Lizt Selene Osorio-Pando Mario Hernández-Guzmán Karla Sidón-Ceseña Yamne Ortega-Saad Victor F. Camacho-Ibar Jennyfers Chong-Robles Asunción Lago-Lestón |
| author_facet | Lizt Selene Osorio-Pando Mario Hernández-Guzmán Karla Sidón-Ceseña Yamne Ortega-Saad Victor F. Camacho-Ibar Jennyfers Chong-Robles Asunción Lago-Lestón |
| author_sort | Lizt Selene Osorio-Pando |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is a complex oceanic basin with a maximum depth of 4000 m. It is a complex hydrodynamic system formed by different water masses with distinctive physical and biological characteristics that shape its rich biodiversity. In this study, as a contribution to better understanding the microbial communities inhabiting the meso- and bathypelagic zones of the Mexican Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the GoM, an extensive set of seawater samples was collected at three depths (350–3700 m) during three oceanographic cruises. The V4-16S rRNA gene analysis identified Pseudomonadota (27.1 ± 9.8%) and Nitrosopumilales (26.4 ± 2.3%) as the dominant bacterial and archaeal members, respectively. The depth, salinity, and apparent oxygen utilization were key environmental drivers, which explained 35% of the community variability. The mesopelagic zone presented a more homogeneous structure characterized by a nitrifier community, while the bathypelagic was more heterogeneous, with hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and methanogens serving as the key players. This study is the first to report the archaeal community in the deeper waters of the Mexican EEZ of the GoM, playing crucial roles in the nitrogen and carbon cycles, highlighting the region’s ecological complexity and the need for further research to understand the broader biogeochemical implications of these processes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6ee47c5cfc2748218b0b239e4d3111fb |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-6ee47c5cfc2748218b0b239e4d3111fb2025-08-20T03:14:35ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-05-01135110610.3390/microorganisms13051106The Meso- and Bathypelagic Archaeal and Bacterial Communities of the Southern Gulf of Mexico Are Dominated by Nitrifiers and Hydrocarbon DegradersLizt Selene Osorio-Pando0Mario Hernández-Guzmán1Karla Sidón-Ceseña2Yamne Ortega-Saad3Victor F. Camacho-Ibar4Jennyfers Chong-Robles5Asunción Lago-Lestón6Posgrado de Ciencias de la Vida, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada 22860, Baja California, MexicoDepartamento de Innovación Biomédica, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada 22860, Baja California, MexicoPosgrado de Ciencias de la Vida, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada 22860, Baja California, MexicoDepartamento de Innovación Biomédica, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada 22860, Baja California, MexicoInstituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Ensenada 22860, Baja California, MexicoDepartamento de Innovación Biomédica, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada 22860, Baja California, MexicoDepartamento de Innovación Biomédica, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada 22860, Baja California, MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is a complex oceanic basin with a maximum depth of 4000 m. It is a complex hydrodynamic system formed by different water masses with distinctive physical and biological characteristics that shape its rich biodiversity. In this study, as a contribution to better understanding the microbial communities inhabiting the meso- and bathypelagic zones of the Mexican Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the GoM, an extensive set of seawater samples was collected at three depths (350–3700 m) during three oceanographic cruises. The V4-16S rRNA gene analysis identified Pseudomonadota (27.1 ± 9.8%) and Nitrosopumilales (26.4 ± 2.3%) as the dominant bacterial and archaeal members, respectively. The depth, salinity, and apparent oxygen utilization were key environmental drivers, which explained 35% of the community variability. The mesopelagic zone presented a more homogeneous structure characterized by a nitrifier community, while the bathypelagic was more heterogeneous, with hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and methanogens serving as the key players. This study is the first to report the archaeal community in the deeper waters of the Mexican EEZ of the GoM, playing crucial roles in the nitrogen and carbon cycles, highlighting the region’s ecological complexity and the need for further research to understand the broader biogeochemical implications of these processes.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1106deep sea16S metabarcodingGulf of Mexicomicrobial community dynamicsammonia-oxidizing archaeamarine microbes |
| spellingShingle | Lizt Selene Osorio-Pando Mario Hernández-Guzmán Karla Sidón-Ceseña Yamne Ortega-Saad Victor F. Camacho-Ibar Jennyfers Chong-Robles Asunción Lago-Lestón The Meso- and Bathypelagic Archaeal and Bacterial Communities of the Southern Gulf of Mexico Are Dominated by Nitrifiers and Hydrocarbon Degraders Microorganisms deep sea 16S metabarcoding Gulf of Mexico microbial community dynamics ammonia-oxidizing archaea marine microbes |
| title | The Meso- and Bathypelagic Archaeal and Bacterial Communities of the Southern Gulf of Mexico Are Dominated by Nitrifiers and Hydrocarbon Degraders |
| title_full | The Meso- and Bathypelagic Archaeal and Bacterial Communities of the Southern Gulf of Mexico Are Dominated by Nitrifiers and Hydrocarbon Degraders |
| title_fullStr | The Meso- and Bathypelagic Archaeal and Bacterial Communities of the Southern Gulf of Mexico Are Dominated by Nitrifiers and Hydrocarbon Degraders |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Meso- and Bathypelagic Archaeal and Bacterial Communities of the Southern Gulf of Mexico Are Dominated by Nitrifiers and Hydrocarbon Degraders |
| title_short | The Meso- and Bathypelagic Archaeal and Bacterial Communities of the Southern Gulf of Mexico Are Dominated by Nitrifiers and Hydrocarbon Degraders |
| title_sort | meso and bathypelagic archaeal and bacterial communities of the southern gulf of mexico are dominated by nitrifiers and hydrocarbon degraders |
| topic | deep sea 16S metabarcoding Gulf of Mexico microbial community dynamics ammonia-oxidizing archaea marine microbes |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1106 |
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