Taylor Gordon T.

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Last Name
Taylor
First Name
Gordon T.
ORCID
0000-0002-6925-7571

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Now showing 1 - 15 of 15
  • Dataset
    CARIACO time series individual CTD profiles from B/O Hermano Gines HG93_CARIACO in the CARIACO basin from 1995-2017 (CARIACO project)
    (Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2019-07-17) Muller-Karger, Frank ; Astor, Yrene ; Benitez-Nelson, Claudia ; Buck, Kristen N. ; Fanning, Kent ; Scranton, Mary I. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Thunell, Robert C. ; Varela, Ramon ; Capelo, Juan ; Gutierrez, Javier ; Guzman, Laurencia ; Lorenzoni, Laura ; Montes, Enrique ; Rojas, Jaimie ; Rondon, Anadiuska ; Rueda-Roa, Digna
    This collection of data comprises all the Individual CTD profiles from the Cariaco basin taken as part of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program from November 1995 to January 2017. These include all the CTD profiles taken during the monthly hydrographic cruises at the CARIACO station (10.50° N, 64.67° W), as well as other CTD profiles from extra legs of the monthly cruises, and few spatial cruises collected in and around the Cariaco basin. CTD’s Salinity and Oxygen where calibrated with in-situ measurements (see Acquisition Description). This dataset is complimentary to the monthly “CTD Composite Profiles” (https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3092), and many fields are very similar to that data-base. The difference with that dataset, is that here we present all the CTD casts for each cruise, the CTD profiles are single (not composite), and the salinity and oxygen profiles were calibrated with in-situ measurements, but fluorescence was no calibrated. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/773146
  • Dataset
    Time series HPLC pigment data as measured by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from B/O Hermano Gines cruises CAR-176 to CAR-232 in the CARIACO basin from 2011-01-11 through 2017-01-12 (CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program)
    (Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2019-09-27) Muller-Karger, Frank ; Astor, Yrene ; Scranton, Mary I. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Thunell, Robert C. ; Troccoli, Luis ; Varela, Ramon
    The CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program (formerly known as CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean) started on November 1995 (CAR-001) and ended on January 2017 (CAR-232). Throughout the CARIACO time-series, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) data was analyzed by four different laboratories: Bermuda Biological Research Station; Mote Marine Laboratory; Horn Point Laboratory; and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This package contains the data analyzed at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, covering cruises CAR-176 to CAR-232 from 2011-01-11 to 2017-01-12. Some of the parameters analyzed were different along time and along the different laboratories. To keep the continuity of the HPLC time-series analyzed by different laboratories, all the HPLC files have the same units and contain the same number and order of columns/parameters (with “nd” to indicate when a parameter was no determined). Fluorometric Chlorophyll-a and Phaeopigments (measured at Estación de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita, Fundación La Salle, EDIMAR-FLASA) are also included. HPLC was not analyzed for cruises CAR-069 to CAR-123. A general description of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program can be found at www.imars.usf.edu/cariaco. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/777689
  • Dataset
    Time series HPLC pigment data as measured by the Bermuda Biological Research Station (BBRS) from B/O Hermano Gines cruises CAR-002 to CAR-030 in the CARIACO basin from 1995-12-13 through 1998-04-21 (CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program)
    (Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2019-09-27) Muller-Karger, Frank ; Astor, Yrene ; Scranton, Mary I. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Thunell, Robert C. ; Troccoli, Luis ; Varela, Ramon
    The CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program (formerly known as CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean) started on November 1995 (CAR-001) and ended on January 2017 (CAR-232). Throughout the CARIACO time-series, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) data was analyzed by four different laboratories: Bermuda Biological Research Station; Mote Marine Laboratory; Horn Point Laboratory; and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This package contains the data analyzed at the Bermuda Biological Research Station, covering cruises CAR-002 to CAR-030 from 1995-12-13 to 1998-04-21. Some of the parameters analyzed were different along time and along the different laboratories. To keep the continuity of the HPLC time-series analyzed by different laboratories, all the HPLC files have the same units and contain the same number and order of columns/parameters (with “nd” to indicate when a parameter was no determined). Fluorometric Chlorophyll-a and Phaeopigments (measured at Estación de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita, Fundación La Salle, EDIMAR-FLASA) are also included. HPLC was not analyzed for cruises CAR-069 to CAR-123. A general description of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program can be found at www.imars.usf.edu/cariaco. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3293
  • Dataset
    Time-series Niskin-bottle sample data from R/V Hermano Gines cruises in the Cariaco Basin from 1995 through 2017 (CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program)
    (Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2019-06-07) Muller-Karger, Frank ; Astor, Yrene ; Scranton, Mary I. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Thunell, Robert C. ; Varela, Ramon ; Benitez-Nelson, Claudia ; Buck, Kristen N. ; Fanning, Kent ; Capelo, Juan ; Gutierrez, Javier ; Guzman, Laurencia ; Lorenzoni, Laura ; Montes, Enrique ; Rojas, Jaimie ; Rondon, Anadiuska ; Rueda-Roa, Digna ; Tappa, Eric
    The CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program (formerly known as CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean) started on November 1995 (CAR-001) and ended on January 2017 (CAR-232). Monthly cruises were conducted to the CARIACO station (10.50° N, 64.67° W) onboard the R/V Hermano Ginés of the Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales de Venezuela. During each cruise, a minimum of four hydrocasts were performed to collect a suite of core monthly observations. We conducted separate shallow and deep casts to obtain a better vertical resolution of in-situ Niskin-bottles samples for chemical observations, and for productivity, phytoplankton, and pigment observations. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3093
  • Article
    Eukaryotic parasites are integral to a productive microbial food web in oxygen-depleted waters
    (Frontiers Media, 2022-01-06) Suter, Elizabeth A. ; Pachiadaki, Maria G. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Edgcomb, Virginia P.
    Oxygen-depleted water columns (ODWCs) host a diverse community of eukaryotic protists that change dramatically in composition over the oxic-anoxic gradient. In the permanently anoxic Cariaco Basin, peaks in eukaryotic diversity occurred in layers where dark microbial activity (chemoautotrophy and heterotrophy) were highest, suggesting a link between prokaryotic activity and trophic associations with protists. Using 18S rRNA gene sequencing, parasites and especially the obligate parasitic clade, Syndiniales, appear to be particularly abundant, suggesting parasitism is an important, but overlooked interaction in ODWC food webs. Syndiniales were also associated with certain prokaryotic groups that are often found in ODWCs, including Marinimicrobia and Marine Group II archaea, evocative of feedbacks between parasitic infection events, release of organic matter, and prokaryotic assimilative activity. In a network analysis that included all three domains of life, bacterial and archaeal taxa were putative bottleneck and hub species, while a large proportion of edges were connected to eukaryotic nodes. Inclusion of parasites resulted in a more complex network with longer path lengths between members. Together, these results suggest that protists, and especially protistan parasites, play an important role in maintaining microbial food web complexity, particularly in ODWCs, where protist diversity and microbial productivity are high, but energy resources are limited relative to euphotic waters.
  • Dataset
    Time series HPLC pigment data as measured by MOTE Marine Laboratory & Aquarium from B/O Hermano Gines cruises CAR-031 to CAR-068 in the CARIACO basin from 1998-06-09 to 2001-07-10 (CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program)
    (Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2019-09-27) Muller-Karger, Frank ; Astor, Yrene ; Scranton, Mary I. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Thunell, Robert C. ; Troccoli, Luis ; Varela, Ramon
    The CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program (formerly known as CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean) started on November 1995 (CAR-001) and ended on January 2017 (CAR-232). Throughout the CARIACO time-series, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) data was analyzed by four different laboratories: Bermuda Biological Research Station; Mote Marine Laboratory; Horn Point Laboratory; and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This package contains the data analyzed at the MOTE Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, covering cruises CAR-031 to CAR-068 from 1998-06-09 to 2001-07-10. Some of the parameters analyzed were different along time and along the different laboratories. To keep the continuity of the HPLC time-series analyzed by different laboratories, all the HPLC files have the same units and contain the same number and order of columns/parameters (with “nd” to indicate when a parameter was no determined). Fluorometric Chlorophyll-a and Phaeopigments (measured at Estación de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita, Fundación La Salle, EDIMAR-FLASA) are also included. HPLC was not analyzed for cruises CAR-069 to CAR-123. A general description of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program can be found at www.imars.usf.edu/cariaco. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3292
  • Dataset
    Time series HPLC pigment data as measured by Horn Point Laboratory (HPL) from B/O Hermano Gines cruises CAR-124 to CAR-175 in the CARIACO basin from 2006-07-04 to 2010-12-08 (CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program)
    (Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2019-09-27) Muller-Karger, Frank ; Astor, Yrene ; Scranton, Mary I. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Thunell, Robert C. ; Troccoli, Luis ; Varela, Ramon
    The CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program (formerly known as CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean) started on November 1995 (CAR-001) and ended on January 2017 (CAR-232). Throughout the CARIACO time-series, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) data was analyzed by four different laboratories: Bermuda Biological Research Station; Mote Marine Laboratory; Horn Point Laboratory; and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This package contains the data analyzed at Horn Point Laboratory, covering cruises CAR-124 to CAR-175 from 2006-07-04 to 2010-12-08. Some of the parameters analyzed were different along time and along the different laboratories. To keep the continuity of the HPLC time-series analyzed by different laboratories, all the HPLC files have the same units and contain the same number and order of columns/parameters (with “nd” to indicate when a parameter was no determined). Fluorometric Chlorophyll-a and Phaeopigments (measured at Estación de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita, Fundación La Salle, EDIMAR-FLASA) are also included. HPLC was not analyzed for cruises CAR-069 to CAR-123. A general description of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program can be found at www.imars.usf.edu/cariaco. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3235
  • Article
    Anomalous delta C-13 in particulate organic carbon at the chemoautotrophy maximum in the Cariaco Basin
    (Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, 2020-01-30) Scranton, Mary I. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Thunell, Robert C. ; Muller-Karger, Frank E. ; Astor, Yrene ; Swart, Peter K. ; Edgcomb, Virginia P. ; Pachiadaki, Maria G.
    A chemoautotrophy maximum is present in many anoxic basins at the sulfidic layer's upper boundary, but the factors controlling this feature are poorly understood. In 13 of 31 cruises to the Cariaco Basin, particulate organic carbon (POC) was enriched in 13C (δ13CPOC as high as −16‰) within the oxic/sulfidic transition compared to photic zone values (−23 to −26‰). During “heavy” cruises, fluxes of O2 and [NO3− + NO2−] to the oxic/sulfidic interface were significantly lower than during “light” cruises. Cruises with isotopically heavy POC were more common between 2013 and 2015 when suspended particles below the photic zone tended to be nitrogen rich compared to later cruises. Within the chemoautotrophic layer, nitrogen‐rich particles (molar ratio C/N< 10) were more likely to be 13C‐enriched than nitrogen‐poor particles, implying that these inventories were dominated by living cells and fresh detritus rather than laterally transported or extensively decomposed detritus. During heavy cruises, 13C enrichments persisted to 1,300 m, providing the first evidence of downward transport of chemoautotrophically produced POC. Dissolved inorganic carbon assimilation during heavy cruises (n = 3) was faster and occurred deeper than during light cruises (n = 2). Metagenomics data from the chemoautotrophic layer during two cruises support prevalence of microorganisms carrying RuBisCO form II genes, which encode a carbon fixation enzyme that discriminates less against heavy isotopes than most other carbon fixation enzymes, and metatranscriptomics data indicate that higher expression of form II RuBisCO genes during the heavy cruises at depths where essential reactants coexist are responsible for the isotopically heavier POC.
  • Article
    The diversity of sulfide oxidation and sulfate reduction genes expressed by the bacterial communities of the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela
    (Bentham Open, 2016-08-31) Rodriguez-Mora, Maria J. ; Edgcomb, Virginia P. ; Taylor, Craig D. ; Scranton, Mary I. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Chistoserdov, Andrei Y.
    Qualitative expression of dissimilative sulfite reductase (dsrA), a key gene in sulfate reduction, and sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (sqr), a key gene in sulfide oxidation was investigated. Neither of the two could be amplified from mRNA retrieved with Niskin bottles but were amplified from mRNA retrieved by the Deep SID. The sqr and sqr-like genes retrieved from the Cariaco Basin were related to the sqr genes from a Bradyrhizobium sp., Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum, Sulfurovum sp. NBC37-1, Sulfurimonas autotrophica, Thiorhodospira sibirica and Chlorobium tepidum. The dsrA gene sequences obtained from the redoxcline of the Cariaco Basin belonged to chemoorganotrophic and chemoautotrophic sulfate and sulfur reducers belonging to the class Deltaproteobacteria (phylum Proteobacteria) and the order Clostridiales (phylum Firmicutes).
  • Article
    Imprint of trace dissolved oxygen on prokaryoplankton community structure in an oxygen minimum zone
    (Frontiers Media, 2020-05-26) Medina Faull, Luis E. ; Mara, Paraskevi ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Edgcomb, Virginia P.
    The Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP) is a large, persistent, and intensifying oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) that accounts for almost half of the total area of global OMZs. Within the OMZ core (∼350–700 m depth), dissolved oxygen is typically near or below the analytical detection limit of modern sensors (∼10 nM). Steep oxygen gradients above and below the OMZ core lead to vertical structuring of microbial communities that also vary between particle-associated (PA) and free-living (FL) size fractions. Here, we use 16S amplicon sequencing (iTags) to analyze the diversity and distribution of prokaryotic populations between FL and PA size fractions and among the range of ambient redox conditions. The hydrographic conditions at our study area were distinct from those previously reported in the ETNP and other OMZs, such as the ETSP. Trace oxygen concentrations (∼0.35 μM) were present throughout the OMZ core at our sampling location. Consequently, nitrite accumulations typically reported for OMZ cores were absent as were sequences for anammox bacteria (Brocadiales genus Candidatus Scalindua), which are commonly found across oxic-anoxic boundaries in other systems. However, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) distributions and maximal autotrophic carbon assimilation rates (1.4 μM C d–1) coincided with a pronounced ammonium concentration maximum near the top of the OMZ core. In addition, members of the genus Nitrospina, a dominant nitrite-oxidizing bacterial (NOB) clade were present suggesting that both ammonia and nitrite oxidation occur at trace oxygen concentrations. Analysis of similarity test (ANOSIM) and Non-metric Dimensional Scaling (nMDS) revealed that bacterial and archaeal phylogenetic representations were significantly different between size fractions. Based on ANOSIM and iTag profiles, composition of PA assemblages was less influenced by the prevailing depth-dependent biogeochemical regime than the FL fraction. Based on the presence of AOA, NOB and trace oxygen in the OMZ core we suggest that nitrification is an active process in the nitrogen cycle of this region of the ETNP OMZ.
  • Article
    Viral elements and their potential influence on microbial processes along the permanently stratified Cariaco Basin redoxcline
    (Springer Nature, 2020-08-14) Mara, Paraskevi ; Vik, Dean R. ; Pachiadaki, Maria G. ; Suter, Elizabeth A. ; Poulos, Bonnie ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Sullivan, Matthew B. ; Edgcomb, Virginia P.
    Little is known about viruses in oxygen-deficient water columns (ODWCs). In surface ocean waters, viruses are known to act as gene vectors among susceptible hosts. Some of these genes may have metabolic functions and are thus termed auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs). AMGs introduced to new hosts by viruses can enhance viral replication and/or potentially affect biogeochemical cycles by modulating key microbial pathways. Here we identify 748 viral populations that cluster into 94 genera along a vertical geochemical gradient in the Cariaco Basin, a permanently stratified and euxinic ocean basin. The viral communities in this ODWC appear to be relatively novel as 80 of these viral genera contained no reference viral sequences, likely due to the isolation and unique features of this system. We identify viral elements that encode AMGs implicated in distinctive processes, such as sulfur cycling, acetate fermentation, signal transduction, [Fe–S] formation, and N-glycosylation. These AMG-encoding viruses include two putative Mu-like viruses, and viral-like regions that may constitute degraded prophages that have been modified by transposable elements. Our results provide an insight into the ecological and biogeochemical impact of viruses oxygen-depleted and euxinic habitats.
  • Dataset
    Time series composite CTD profiles from R/V Hermano Ginés cruises in the Cariaco Basin from 1995 through 2017 (CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program)
    (Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2019-06-06) Muller-Karger, Frank ; Astor, Yrene ; Benitez-Nelson, Claudia ; Scranton, Mary I. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Thunell, Robert C. ; Varela, Ramon ; Capelo, Juan ; Guzman, Laurencia ; Lorenzoni, Laura ; Montes, Enrique ; Rojas, Jaimie ; Rueda-Roa, Digna
    The CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program (formerly known as CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean) started on November 1995 (CAR-001) and ended on January 2017 (CAR-232). Monthly cruises were conducted to the CARIACO station (10.50° N, 64.67° W) onboard the R/V Hermano Ginés of the Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales de Venezuela. During each cruise, a minimum of four hydrocasts were performed to collect a suite of core monthly observations. We conducted separate shallow and deep casts to obtain a better vertical resolution of in-situ Niskin-bottles samples for chemical observations, and for productivity, phytoplankton, and pigment observations. One CTD composite profile was created for each cruise by stitching together the sections of the different cruise's CTD profiles at the depth interval where water samples were obtained. CTD’s Salinity, Oxygen, and Fluorescence where calibrated with in-situ measurements. The composite CTD profiles dataset is a complement of the hydrographic time series data obtained with the Niskin Bottle Samples (https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3093). The following sections describe the methods used in collecting the core observations at the CARIACO station. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3092
  • Article
    Diverse secondary metabolites are expressed in particle-associated and free-living microorganisms of the permanently anoxic Cariaco Basin
    (Nature Research, 2023-02-06) Geller-McGrath, David ; Mara, Paraskevi ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Suter, Elizabeth ; Edgcomb, Virginia ; Pachiadaki, Maria
    Secondary metabolites play essential roles in ecological interactions and nutrient acquisition, and are of interest for their potential uses in medicine and biotechnology. Genome mining for biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) can be used for the discovery of new compounds. Here, we use metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to analyze BGCs in free-living and particle-associated microbial communities through the stratified water column of the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela. We recovered 565 bacterial and archaeal metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) and identified 1154 diverse BGCs. We show that differences in water redox potential and microbial lifestyle (particle-associated vs. free-living) are associated with variations in the predicted composition and production of secondary metabolites. Our results indicate that microbes, including understudied clades such as Planctomycetota, potentially produce a wide range of secondary metabolites in these anoxic/euxinic waters.
  • Dataset
    Biogeochemistry and microbiology from the R/V Hermano Gines cruises in the Cariaco Basin from 1995 to 2015 (CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program)
    (Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2019-06-07) Scranton, Mary I. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Muller-Karger, Frank ; Astor, Yrene ; Varela, Ramon ; Fanning, Kent ; Buck, Kristen N. ; Rojas, Jaimie
    Biogeochemistry and microbiology measurements in the Cariaco Basin. Microbiology sampling were conducted during special CARIACO cruises (distinct from the monthly, core sampling, time-series cruises) from November 1995 to November 2015. The specialized microbiology cruises were usually during May and November, and could be opportunistic or process-driven. There were typically at least 2 cruises per year, during which different variables were sampled and at different depths from the standard monthly CARIACO cruises. Bacteria production data were also reported for the microbiology cruises. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3120
  • Article
    Plasmid-borne biosynthetic gene clusters within a permanently stratified marine water column
    (MDPI, 2024-05-02) Mara, Paraskevi ; Geller-McGrath, David ; Suter, Elizabeth A. ; Taylor, Gordon T. ; Pachiadaki, Maria G. ; Edgcomb, Virginia P.
    Plasmids are mobile genetic elements known to carry secondary metabolic genes that affect the fitness and survival of microbes in the environment. Well-studied cases of plasmid-encoded secondary metabolic genes in marine habitats include toxin/antitoxin and antibiotic biosynthesis/resistance genes. Here, we examine metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the permanently-stratified water column of the Cariaco Basin for integrated plasmids that encode biosynthetic gene clusters of secondary metabolites (smBGCs). We identify 16 plasmid-borne smBGCs in MAGs associated primarily with Planctomycetota and Pseudomonadota that encode terpene-synthesizing genes, and genes for production of ribosomal and non-ribosomal peptides. These identified genes encode for secondary metabolites that are mainly antimicrobial agents, and hence, their uptake via plasmids may increase the competitive advantage of those host taxa that acquire them. The ecological and evolutionary significance of smBGCs carried by prokaryotes in oxygen-depleted water columns is yet to be fully elucidated.