Polymetallic nodules and polymetallic sulfides are currently the major mineral resources found on the seabed. The motivation behind deep-sea mining arises from the pursuit of valuable metals, driven by both economic and geopolitical considerations. However, before mining can be authorized, it is crucial to understand the microbial adaptation and biomineralization process related to heavy metals in deep-sea environments. To sea...

The Sansha Yongle blue hole (SYBH) is the world’s deepest blue hole known so far and its unique hydrochemical characteristics make it a valuable site for studying biodiversity and ecological processes. Here, we used metabarcoding approach to investigate the diversity, assembly mechanism and co-occurrence pattern of planktonic microbiome in SYBH. Our results revealed the distinct separation of communities from upper oxic, middl...