the diversity and composition of total bacteria, SRB and SOB in the surface sediments       from the East China Sea was investigated based on the 16S rRNA, soxB, aprA and dsrB       genes
The East China Sea (ECS) is the largest marginal sea of the Northwest Pacific Ocean and receives large inputs of freshwater and nutrients from the Changjiang (Yangtze River). The ECS is influenced by Taiwan Warm Currents in the south and the Kuroshio Current (from the Western Equatorial Pacific) in the east. Due to the strong influence of the riverine inputs and currents, the ECS exhibits complex physical and chemical conditions. Sulfur cycling, which is one of the key biological processes in marine sediments, is predominated by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB). In the present study, high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA, aprA, dsrB and soxB genes were performed on ECS sediments to study the community structure and diversity of SRB and SOB.