The genome of the Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter)
The aims of the study are to characterize the structure and function of the microbiome of the Empty Quarter by collecting environmental samples at multiple time points and across a transect of >1000km. Collected samples include soil, plant, water, and biofilm. Extensive metadata characterizing the environmental conditions is also collected. This study contains cultured genomes, mixed cultures, amplicon and shotgun sequencing data.  Function prediction using the DeepGO tool will be used to reveal the functions and interactions in the collected samples and relate them to environmental conditions.