A new paper using genomics data from GO-SHIP line P15S by Raes and co-workers was published in Nature Communications. They combined sequencing of 16S rRNA and metagenomics with all the hydrographic measurements to assess changes in ecosystem state between polar, subtropical and tropical regions in the South Pacific Ocean. They find that “The ability to query metabolic pathways in existing and future 16S rRNA gene data sets on a global scale establishes the opportunity to test hypotheses regarding how biodiversity influences functional diversity, and how these are related to energy production in the ocean.”