Dissolved Organic Carbon Shapes Sediment Bacterial Diversity in Continental Lakes

Biodiversity patterns such as the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) are central to ecology. Compared to macroorganisms, microbial diversity patterns and their underlying mechanisms, particularly in freshwater systems, are understudied despite their importance to ecosystem functioning. Here, we conducted a large-scale investigation of sediment bacterial communities in China's lakes across a latitudinal gradient from 18°N to 50°N and assessed their diversity patterns, life history strategies, a