Glacial-interglacial transitions in microbiomes recorded in deep-sea sediments from the western equatorial Atlantic

In the late Quaternary, glacial-interglacial transitions are marked by major environmental changes. Glacial periods in the western equatorial Atlantic (WEA) are characterized by high continental terrigenous input, which increases the proportion of terrestrial organic matter (e.g. lignin, alkanes), nutrients (e.g. iron and sulphur), and lower primary productivity. On the other hand, interglacials are characterized by lower continental contribution and maxima in primary productivity. Microbes can serve as biosensors of past conditions, but scarce information is available on deep-sea sediments in the WEA. The hypothesis put forward in this study is that past changes in climate conditions modulated the taxonomic/functional composition of microbes from deep sediment layers. To address this hypothesis, we collected samples from a marine sediment core located in the WEA, which covered the last 130 kyr. This region is influenced by the presence of the Amazon River plume, which outputs dissolved and particulate nutrients in vast oceanic regions, as well as the Parnaiba river plume. Core GL-1248 was analysed by shotgun metagenomics and geochemical analyses (alkane, lignin, perylene, sulphur). Two clusters (glacial and interglacial-deglacial) were found based on taxonomic and functional profiles of metagenomes. The interglacial period had a higher abundance of genes belonging to several sub-systems (e.g. DNA, RNA metabolism, cell division, chemotaxis, and respiration) that are consistent with a past environment with enhanced primary productivity. On the other hand, the abundance of Alcanivorax, Marinobacter, Kangiella and aromatic compounds that may serve as energy sources for these bacteria were higher in the glacial. The glacial period was enriched in genes for the metabolism of aromatic compounds, lipids, isoprenoids, iron, and Sulphur, consistent with enhanced fluvial input during the last glacial period. In contrast, interglacials have increased contents of more labile materials originating from phytoplankton (e.g. Prochlorococcus). This study provides new insights into the microbiome as climatic archives at geological timescales.