Omics exploration of deep-sea biodiversity: data from the "Pourquoi Pas les Abysses?" and eDNAbyss projects

The deep-sea floor encompasses more than half of the surface of our planet, yet the extent and distribution of deep-sea biodiversity and its contribution to large biogeochemical cycles remain poorly understood. This knowledge gap stems from several factors, including sampling issues, the magnitude of the work required for morphological inventories, and the difficulty of integrating results from disparate local studies. The application of meta-omics to environmental DNA now makes it possible to assemble interoperable datasets at different spatial scales to move towards a global assessment of deep-sea biodiversity. We present a large-scale dataset on deep-sea biodiversity, with data and metadata openly accessible at ENA and Zenodo. The resource was generated using standardized protocols developed according to FAIR principles, covering fieldwork through bioinformatic analysis, within "Pourquoi Pas les Abysses?" and eDNAbyss projects. Together with information ensuring reproducibility, this dataset -combining metagenomics, metabarcoding across the Tree of Life and capture-by-hybridization- contributes to the international concerted effort to achieve a holistic view of the biodiversity in the largest biome on Earth.