Microorganisms in sediments are important participants and bearers of energy flow and material cycling in marine ecosystems. It is one of the hotspots in current research to clarify how sediment microorganisms participate in biogeochemical cycles in different habitats. In this study, the composition of sediment microbial communities, the extracellular enzyme activities （EEA） of some sediment microbes, and the related chemical parameters in the northern shelf of the South China Sea were investigated and measured. The results of high-throughput sequencing showed that Gamma amoebae and Alpha amoebae were the dominant microbial groups in the sedimentary microbial community of the northern shelf of the South China Sea, and the results of FAPROTAX function prediction, EEA and chemical parameters showed that the microbes were involved in a variety of important carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur cycling processes. The results of this study will provide basic data for further research on the structure of sediment microbial communities and EEA stoichiometry.
 

sediment, extracellular enzyme, microbial diversity