2015-12-012024-05-18https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/698819Abstract: Marine microbes, including bacteria and protists, are vital members in oceans. However, the mechanism underlying marine microbial community assembly remains elusive. Moreover, previous studies have focused on either horizontal or vertical structure of communities. Curiously, systematic survey of microbial community in a three-dimension setting (that is, surveying microbial community structures in multiple layers across a basin scale) has never been done, although the fact that ocean processes operate at 3-D space is well known. In this proposal, to better understand the community assembly of bacteria and protists, we aim to investigate their spatial structures using systematic survey in a 3-D setting (33 stations, and 1–4 depths per station) in the East China Sea. In light of metacommunity theory, we examine the relative influences of geographic separation and environmental filtering in shaping bacterial and protistan communities. Furthermore, the majority of studies concerning microbial community assembly are mainly conducted without considering the interaction of microorganisms. This study further identifies potential effects of predator (protist) diversity on prey (bacteria) metacommunity structures and vise versa. Importantly, our sampling is carried out in summer during which hypoxia occurs in the region off the Changjiang Delta. This provides a unique opportunity to examine how the extreme environmental disturbance impacts on microbial communities.