Quantifying the evolutionary dynamics of structure and content in closely-related E. coli genomes.

Bacterial genomes primarily diversify via gain, loss, and rearrangement of genetic material in their flexible accessory genome. Yet the dynamics of accessory genome evolution are very poorly understood, in contrast to the core genome where diversification is readily described by mutations and homologous recombination. Here, we tackle this problem for the case of very closely related genomes.

Hydrothermal vents supporting persistent plumes and microbial chemoautotrophy at Gakkel Ridge (Arctic Ocean).

Hydrothermal vents emit hot fluids enriched in energy sources for microbial life. Here, we compare the ecological and biogeochemical effects of hydrothermal venting of two recently discovered volcanic seamounts, Polaris and Aurora of the Gakkel Ridge, in the ice-covered Central Arctic Ocean. At both sites, persistent hydrothermal plumes increased up to 800 m into the deep Arctic Ocean.

High-quality draft genome of Gammaproteobacterial SUP05 cluster from non-buoyant hydrothermal plumes of ultraslow spreading Gakkel Ridge (Central Arctic Ocean).

Hydrothermal plumes are an important yet understudied component of deep-sea microbial ecosystems. We report metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of three Bacteria belonging to the Gammaproteobacterial SUP05 cluster (family ), assembled from the metagenomes of two non-buoyant hydrothermal plumes in the ultraslow spreading Gakkel Ridge.

The Impact of Sea Ice Cover on Microbial Communities in Antarctic Shelf Sediments.

The area around the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) is facing rapid climatic and environmental changes, with so far unknown impacts on the benthic microbial communities of the continental shelves. In this study, we investigated the impact of contrasting sea ice cover on microbial community compositions in surface sediments from five stations along the eastern shelf of the AP using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. Redox conditions in sediments with long ice-free periods are characterized by a prevailing ferruginous zone, whereas a comparatively broad upper oxic zone is present at the heavily ice-covered station.

: scalable bacterial pan-genome graph construction.

The genomic diversity of microbes is commonly parameterized as SNPs relative to a reference genome of a well-characterized, but arbitrary, isolate. However, any reference genome contains only a fraction of the microbial , the set of genes observed in a given species. Reference-based approaches are thus blind to the dynamics of the accessory genome, as well as variation within gene order and copy number.