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Abiotic selection of microbial genome size in the global ocean

Author

Listed:
  • David K. Ngugi

    (Leibniz Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures)

  • Silvia G. Acinas

    (Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC)

  • Pablo Sánchez

    (Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC)

  • Josep M. Gasol

    (Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC)

  • Susana Agusti

    (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Red Sea Research Center)

  • David M. Karl

    (University of Hawaií at Mãnoa)

  • Carlos M. Duarte

    (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Red Sea Research Center)

Abstract

Strong purifying selection is considered a major evolutionary force behind small microbial genomes in the resource-poor photic ocean. However, very little is currently known about how the size of prokaryotic genomes evolves in the global ocean and whether patterns reflect shifts in resource availability in the epipelagic and relatively stable deep-sea environmental conditions. Using 364 marine microbial metagenomes, we investigate how the average genome size of uncultured planktonic prokaryotes varies across the tropical and polar oceans to the hadal realm. We find that genome size is highest in the perennially cold polar ocean, reflecting elongation of coding genes and gene dosage effects due to duplications in the interior ocean microbiome. Moreover, the rate of change in genome size due to temperature is 16-fold higher than with depth up to 200 m. Our results demonstrate how environmental factors can influence marine microbial genome size selection and ecological strategies of the microbiome.

Suggested Citation

  • David K. Ngugi & Silvia G. Acinas & Pablo Sánchez & Josep M. Gasol & Susana Agusti & David M. Karl & Carlos M. Duarte, 2023. "Abiotic selection of microbial genome size in the global ocean," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-36988-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36988-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thomas Wieland, 2020. "REAT: A Regional Economic Analysis Toolbox for R," REGION, European Regional Science Association, vol. 7, pages 1-57.
    2. Ernesto Villarino & James R. Watson & Bror Jönsson & Josep M. Gasol & Guillem Salazar & Silvia G. Acinas & Marta Estrada & Ramón Massana & Ramiro Logares & Caterina R. Giner & Massimo C. Pernice & M. , 2018. "Large-scale ocean connectivity and planktonic body size," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nils Giordano & Marinna Gaudin & Camille Trottier & Erwan Delage & Charlotte Nef & Chris Bowler & Samuel Chaffron, 2024. "Genome-scale community modelling reveals conserved metabolic cross-feedings in epipelagic bacterioplankton communities," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Cong Wang & Qing-Yi Yu & Niu-Niu Ji & Yong Zheng & John W. Taylor & Liang-Dong Guo & Cheng Gao, 2023. "Bacterial genome size and gene functional diversity negatively correlate with taxonomic diversity along a pH gradient," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.

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