Deep chlorophyll maxima as hotspots of microbial diversity in lake ecosystems
The primary goal of this study is to characterize the taxonomic composition of microbial communities forming deep chlorophyll maxima in Lake Grosser Glubigsee, Germany, using next-generation sequencing of marker genes (16S rRNA for bacteria, 18S rRNA for algae, and ITS2 for fungi). Traditional microscopic identification of these highly diverse phototrophic communities is labor intensive and requires substantial taxonomic expertise, creating a bottleneck for accurate assessment. By applying NGS, this study aims to overcome these limitations and provide a high-resolution, cultivation-independent profile of bacterial, algal, and fungal diversity across different water depths. The relevance of this work lies in its ability to reveal the hidden microbial complexity within a key aquatic habitat which plays a critical role in primary production and biogeochemical cycling in stratified lakes.