# Amplicon sequencing of ice and water phytoplankton and bacterial communities during an extreme winter in a central Canadian great lake

## TL;DR

The study analyzed ice and water microbes in Lake Winnipeg during an extreme winter to understand community patterns.

## Contribution

It reveals how specific microbes partition into ice during cold periods in a central Canadian lake.

## Key findings

- Diatoms, cyanobacteria, and Xanthomonadales showed distinct partitioning into ice fractions.
- Cold temperatures influenced microbial community distribution in Lake Winnipeg's ice and water.

## Abstract

Ice and water microbial communities from Lake Winnipeg were explored through V4 region 16S rRNA gene sequencing during a pronounced period of cold temperatures over North America’s Great Plains and Great Lakes regions. Diatoms, cyanobacteria, and Xanthomonadales (Gammaproteobacteria) displayed patterns of partitioning into ice fractions.