This study was co-led by @jonas-biosky.social (@borklab.bsky.social @embl.org) and Dominic Eriksson (@ethz.ch). Big thanks to all co-authors, especially Peer Bork and our collaborators, particularly Meike Vogt, Nicolas Gruber and Shinichi Sunagawa (ETH Zürich). (6/6)

Forward looking, the improved understanding of the mechanisms behind LDGs can inform predictions of diversity under climate change scenarios, which might have distinct impacts on the diversity of different microbial lineages. (5/6)

LDG variation reflects lineage-specific strategies: Alphaproteobacteria & Cyanobacteriia diversity peak in oligotrophic gyres (nutrient-poor), consistent with their adaptations to low nutrients. Gammaproteobacteria peak outside the gyres, aligning with preferences for copiotrophic conditions. (4/6)

LDGs of the surface mixed layer are not uniform: The overall LDG was dominated by species of Cyanobacteriia and Alphaproteobacteria. Other taxonomic groups exhibit a variety of other LDG patterns. (3/6)

For the surface ocean, our models suggest higher diversity in winter than in summer. For European latitudes, our results indicate an average 57% richness increase in December, compared to June. We checked coastal time-series studies and found a similar December-June richness difference (54%). (2/6)

We found that the ocean mesopelagic layer (200-1,000 m depth) is one of the rare exceptions where LDGs are absent for marine prokaryotes. (1/6)

We hope many of you will find it useful, and will continue to add data. Here's the preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... - hopefully coming soon to a NAR Database Issue near you 😅 Thanks to everyone in the @borklab.bsky.social @embl.org who contributed to this! 7/7