supporting data for PhD thesis "Ecological patterns and physiological adaptations of marine bacteria in tropical extreme environments"

Microbes are ubiquitous in our oceans. These organisms can thrive even in some of the harshest places on Earth including tropical rocky shores and the deep sea. The extreme environmental conditions of these habitats (e.g., temperature, UV and atmospheric pressure) have influenced the diversity and evolution of marine microbes, shaping a variety of phenotypic adaptations. It is unclear, however, whether these phenotypic adaptations are underpinned by similar agents of selection (i.e., extreme environmental conditions), driving convergent evolution in microbial functional and genetic characteristics. Addressing this major knowledge gap in microbial ecology can help us to understand the generality and predictability of microbial evolution in extreme environments as well as the mechanisms underpinning enhanced tolerances to environmental stress. Here, the patterns of microbial diversity along environmental gradients in extreme marine habitats were explored. By integrating phenotypic and molecular approaches, the variation in functional and genetic characteristics of microbes (Bacteria) along the gradients was assessed. Findings of this study will help to improve our understanding of the mechanisms supporting microbial diversity and ecological success in changing and extreme environments.