ABBaCo
The main aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of anthropogenic impacts and natural disturbances on benthic microbial communities in coastal marine ecosystems. By analyzing extracellular prokaryotic DNA preserved in dated sediment cores from Bagnoli-Coroglio Bay (Tyrrhenian Sea), one of the most historically polluted coastal areas in Europe, we reconstructed changes in microbial diversity and community structure from the mid-17th century to the present day.