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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Artículo científico |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
Marine environmental research
2026
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| Online Access: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42259097/ |
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Table of Contents:
- Linking hydrocarbon gradients to microbial community variation across full-depth water columns in the Western Pacific Ocean. Jiang, Lijia Chen, Chunlei Hu, Songtao Jiang, Lingbo Zhang, Dongsheng Ji, Zhongqiang Zhang, Chunfang Xiong, Liangli Zhou, Hanghai Hydrocarbons are widely distributed in marine environments and may influence microbial communities even at the low concentrations typically found in non-contaminated marine environments, yet their vertical patterns and ecological implications in oligotrophic open-ocean systems remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated six full-depth pelagic water-column profiles (maximum depths ranging from 1000 m to 5900 m) in the Western Pacific Ocean, integrating measurements of aliphatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with microbial community composition, diversity, and assembly analyses across 44 samples. The results showed that n-alkanes exhibited clear depth-related enrichment, particularly for long-chain homologues, likely associated with particle-mediated transport, whereas PAHs displayed more variable vertical patterns influenced by multiple processes. Molecular diagnostic indices indicated predominantly pyrogenic sources, suggesting potential transformation during vertical transport. Hydrocarbon gradients were associated with shifts in microbial community composition and diversity, accompanied by changes in predicted functional potential, with higher concentrations favoring hydrocarbon-associated and heterotrophic taxa. Moreover, community assembly analysis indicated that hydrocarbon variability governed niche-based transitions in microbial communities; elevated concentrations decoupled microbial taxa from their environmental niches, shifting the assembly processes from dispersal limitation to drift dominance. This transition was further supported by a structural simplification of co-occurrence networks, characterized by reduced connectivity and complexity under hydrocarbon pressure. These findings suggest that even background hydrocarbon variability may influence microbial community organization and assembly in oligotrophic marine environments. Overall, this study provides new insights into how natural hydrocarbon variability may shape microbial community organization and assembly processes in oligotrophic open-ocean ecosystems.