The paper investigates anaerobic methane oxidation in the Orca Basin, identifying ANME-2a's role at high salinity and revealing microbial communities involved in methane cycling.

bioRxiv · Oct 24, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology

Piezophilic activity dominates the Puerto Rico Trench deep subseafloor biosphere

Miguel Desmarais, Corinna Breusing, Anna H. Finch, Chloé M. J. Baumas, William D. Orsi, Álvaro M. Plominsky, Yuki Morono, Laura M. Wehrmann, Dennis Graham, R. A. Pockalny, Arthur J. Spivack, Irita Aylward, Taylor Walton, Barbara Saucedo, Sofia Rivera Soto, , Douglas Hoyt Bartlett

The paper investigates pressure effects on microbial activity in the Puerto Rico Trench, finding that piezophily dominates subseafloor communities below 20 meters below seafloor.

bioRxiv · Oct 18, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology

Seafloor topography structures subseafloor microbial communities in the Puerto Rico Trench

Corinna Breusing, William D. Orsi, Miguel Desmarais, Álvaro M. Plominsky, Irita Aylward, Dennis Graham, R. A. Pockalny, Sofia Rivera Soto, Barbara Saucedo, David C. Smith, Evan A. Solomon, Jelis J. Sostre-Cortés, Arthur J. Spivack, Taylor Walton, Laura M. Wehrmann, , Steven L. D'Hondt

This study shows that seafloor topography influences subseafloor microbial communities in the Puerto Rico Trench by shaping oxygen availability and organic matter distribution.

bioRxiv · Oct 14, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology