Investigation of the diversity of organisms contributing to the particulate matter flux to the seafloor at Station M (North East Pacific Ocean, 35º 08.7975’ N Latitude, 122º 58.4328’ W Longitude, 4000 m deep). We used DNA metabarcoding (Illumina MiSeq) of small subunit rRNA genes (16S and 18S rRNA) to compare samples from sediment trap samples from 50 meters above bottom and 100 meters above bottom, sea floor aggregates and water column samples.