ena-STUDY-WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION-01-07-2019-18:37:09:124-361
Charting the complexity of the marine microbiome through single cell genomics
Marine prokaryoplankton represent a complex, global microbiome that plays key roles in biogeochemistry and ocean ecosystem functioning. Yet their genomic composition remains poorly resolved. We employed randomized single cell genomics to recover 12,715 partial genomes from tropical and subtropical, photic ocean. Each sequenced cell was found to be genomically unique, implying limited clonality within prokaryoplankton populations.  This genome collection enables accurate functional annotation and genus-level taxonomic assignments, thus offering a model of a reference genome database for complex microbiomes.
Marine prokaryoplankton represent a complex, global microbiome that plays key roles in biogeochemistry and ocean ecosystem functioning. Yet their genomic composition remains poorly resolved. We employed randomized single cell genomics to recover 12,715 partial genomes from tropical and subtropical, photic ocean. Each sequenced cell was found to be genomically unique, implying limited clonality within prokaryoplankton populations.  This genome collection enables accurate functional annotation and genus-level taxonomic assignments, thus offering a model of a reference genome database for complex microbiomes.