The phylogenetic composition of the heterotrophic microbial community is depth stratified in the oceanic water column down to abyssopelagic layers. In the layers below the euphotic zone, it has been suggested that heterotrophic microbes rely largely on solubilized particulate organic matter as a carbon and energy source rather than on dissolved organic matter. To decipher whether changes in the phylogenetic composition with depth are reflected in changes in the bacterial and archaeal transporter proteins, we generated an extensive metaproteomic and metagenomic dataset of microbial communities collected from 100- to 5,000-m depth in the Atlantic Ocean.

Supplement to: Bergauer, Kristin; Fernandez-Guerra, Antonio; Garcia, Juan A L; Sprenger, Antoinette; Stepanauskas, Ramunas; Pachiadaki, Maria G; Jensen, Ole N; Herndl, Gerhard J (2018): Organic matter processing by microbial communities throughout the Atlantic water column as revealed by metaproteomics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(3), E400-E408