“…In deep subsurface hydrate sediments, Atribacterota (JS-1) and Chloroflexota dominate bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences and Asgardarchaeota (formerly MBGB/DSAG) dominate archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences; these trends have been observed for deep subsurface hydrate-bearing sediments around the Pacific Rim, including Nankai Trough (Katayama et al, 2016;Wellsbury et al, 2000), Umitaka Spur (Yanagawa et al, 2014), Ulleung Basin (Lee et al, 2013), Cascadia Margin (Parkes et al, 2014), Hydrate Ridge (Glass et al, 2021;Inagaki et al, 2006;Nunoura et al, 2008), and the Peru Margin (Inagaki et al, 2006). 16S rRNA gene sequences from the South China Sea differed between studies (Cui et al, 2019(Cui et al, , 2020Gong et al, 2017;Jiang et al, 2007;Jiao et al, 2015), but metagenomic sequencing shows dominance of Atribacterota (JS-1), Chloroflexota, and Asgardarchaeota (Zhang et al, 2022), consistent with other Pacific Rim sites. In contrast, 16S rRNA gene sequences from hydrate sediments from the Andaman Sea were dominated by Firmicutes, as were sediment isolates (Briggs et al, 2012;Parkes et al, 2009).…”