Environmental Genome Shotgun Sequencing of the Sargasso Sea

TLDR

We applied whole‑genome shotgun sequencing to microbial populations collected from the Sargasso Sea using tangential flow and impact filters. The resulting 1.045 billion nonredundant base pairs revealed at least 1,800 genomic species—including 148 novel bacterial phylotypes—and over 1.2 million previously unknown genes, such as 782 new rhodopsin‑like photoreceptors, underscoring extensive oceanic microbial diversity.

Abstract

We have applied "whole-genome shotgun sequencing" to microbial populations collected en masse on tangential flow and impact filters from seawater samples collected from the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda. A total of 1.045 billion base pairs of nonredundant sequence was generated, annotated, and analyzed to elucidate the gene content, diversity, and relative abundance of the organisms within these environmental samples. These data are estimated to derive from at least 1800 genomic species based on sequence relatedness, including 148 previously unknown bacterial phylotypes. We have identified over 1.2 million previously unknown genes represented in these samples, including more than 782 new rhodopsin-like photoreceptors. Variation in species present and stoichiometry suggests substantial oceanic microbial diversity.