PRJNA41119
Metagenomes from high-temperature chemotrophic systems in Yellowstone National Park
The Yellowstone caldera contains the most numerous and diverse geothermal systems on Earth, yielding an extensive array of high-temperature terrestrial and sub aerial environments that host uncharacterized and understudied Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya.  The combination of extreme temperature and chemical conditions encountered in geothermal environments often results in considerably less microbial diversity than other mesophilic, nutrient-rich habitats and offers a tremendous opportunity for studying the structure and function of indigenous microbial communities, as well as for establishing linkages between putative metabolisms and element cycling.  Environmental DNA was extracted from five different geothermal environments in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), and then subjected to random shotgun sequencing (~12 megabases per site, 800 base pair per Sanger read). The following sites (in order of increasing pH) were chosen to represent a partial range in geochemical conditions found in geothermal systems of YNP including variation in pH, dissolved oxygen and dissolved sulfide: Crater Hills (pH 2.6), Norris Geyser Basin (pH 3.0), Joseph's Coat Hot Springs (6.1), Mammoth Hot Springs (6.5), Calcite Springs (pH 7.8).  The microbial mats and or sediments included in this study are all high-temperature, chemotrophic systems, and have been the subject of past research by various collaborators participating in this multi-site project. A brief synopsis of each site is provided.