Water mass specific genes dominate the Southern Ocean microbiome
2026
Faure, Emile | Pommellec, Jolann | Noel, Cyril | Cormier, Alexandre | Delpech, Lisa-marie | Eren, Murat | Fernandez-guerra, Antonio | Vanni, Chiara | Fourquez, Marion | Houssais, Marie-noëlle | Guyet, Ulysse | Da Silva, Corinne | Gavory, Frederick | Perdereau, Aude | Labadie, Karine | Wincker, Patrick | Poulain, Julie | Hassler, Christel | Lin, Yajuan | Cassar, Nicolas | Maignien, Lois
The Southern Ocean (SO) plays a key role in regulating global biogeochemical cycles and climate, yet microbial genes sustaining its biological activity remain poorly characterized. We introduce a comprehensive SO microbial genes collection from 218 metagenomes sampled during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition, the majority of which are missing from functional databases. 38% even lack homologs in current reference marine gene catalogs, defining a singular genetic seascape. We show that SO gene assemblages exhibit a common polar signature with the Arctic Ocean while being structured by water masses at the SO-scale. We analyze genomic markers of diverse SO biomes, focusing on adaptations to organic matter consumption in the blooming Mertz polynya and temperature-dependent trace metal utilization by the ubiquist Bacteria Pelagibacter. Our work takes a step towards a more comprehensive understanding of SO’s plankton ecology and evolution, capturing the current state of the unique microbial diversity in this rapidly changing Ocean.
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This bibliographic record has been provided by French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer