Mahoney Lake in British Columbia is an extreme meromictic system with unusually high levels of sulfate and sulfide present in the water column. As is common in strongly stratified lakes, Mahoney Lake hosts a dense, sulfide-oxidizing phototrophic microbial community where light reaches the chemocline. Below this "plate," the euxinic hypolimnion is anoxic, eutrophic, saline, and rich in sulfide, polysulfides, elemental sulfur, and other sulfur intermediates. While much is known regarding microbial communities in sunlit portions of euxinic systems, the composition and genetic potential of organisms living at aphotic depths have rarely been studied. Metagenomic sequencing of samples from the hypolimnion and the underlying sediments of Mahoney Lake indicate that multiple taxa contribute to sulfate reduction below the chemocline and that the hypolimnion and sediments each support distinct populations of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) that differ from the SRB populations observed in the chemocline. After assembling and binning the metagenomic datasets, we recovered near-complete genomes of dominant populations including two Deltaproteobacteria. One of the deltaproteobacterial genomes encoded a 16S rRNA sequence that was most closely related to the sulfur-disproportionating genus Dissulfuribacter and the other encoded a 16S rRNA sequence that was most closely related to the fatty acid- and aromatic acid-degrading genus Syntrophus. We also recovered two near-complete genomes of Firmicutes species. Analysis of concatenated ribosomal protein trees suggests these genomes are most closely related to extremely alkaliphilic genera Alkaliphilus and Dethiobacter. Our metagenomic data indicate that these Firmicutes contribute to carbon cycling below the chemocline. Lastly, we recovered a nearly complete genome from the sediment metagenome which represents a new genus within the FCB (Fibrobacteres, Chlorobi, Bacteroidetes) superphylum. Consistent with the geochemical data, we found little or no evidence for organisms capable of sulfide oxidation in the aphotic zone below the chemocline. Instead, comparison of functional genes below the chemocline are consistent with recovery of multiple populations capable of reducing oxidized sulfur. Our data support previous observations that at least some of the sulfide necessary to support the dense population of phototrophs in the chemocline is supplied from sulfate reduction in the hypolimnion and sediments. These studies provide key insights regarding the taxonomic and functional diversity within a euxinic environment and highlight the complexity of biogeochemical carbon and sulfur cycling necessary to maintain euxinia.

Plants with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) are increasing in distribution and abundance in drylands worldwide, but the underlying drivers remain unknown. We investigate the impacts of extreme drought and CO₂ enrichment on the competitive relationships between seedlings of Cylindropuntia imbricata (CAM species) and Bouteloua eriopoda (C₄ grass), which coexist in semiarid ecosystems across the Southwestern United States. Our experiments under altered water and CO₂ water conditions show that C. imbricata positively responded to CO₂ enrichment under extreme drought conditions, while B. eriopoda declined from drought stress and did not recover after the drought ended. Conversely, in well‐watered conditions B. eriopoda had a strong competitive advantage on C. imbricata such that the photosynthetic rate and biomass (per individual) of C. imbricata grown with B. eriopoda were lower relative to when growing alone. A meta‐analysis examining multiple plant families across global drylands shows a positive response of CAM photosynthesis and productivity to CO₂ enrichment. Collectively, our results suggest that under drought and elevated CO₂ concentrations, projected with climate change, the competitive advantage of plant functional groups may shift and the dominance of CAM plants may increase in semiarid ecosystems.