What possibles outcomes or conclusion can be drawn from comparative taxonomic/functional diversity analysis of different hot springs on the basis of pH, Temperature and locations?
You can only see the variations in the community structure and predict some hypothesis after getting the type of communities you have captured in the study but you can't say specifically that the difference is because of pH, Temperature or locations.
What kind of metagenomic approach you are using? structural/functional?
in functional-comparative analysis you may prospect that what kind of genes were more active in stress(high temperature) conditions; moreover you may link the diversity to presence of various metals abundant at that particular region...
pH of most hot springs(as much as i know) lie in acidic region but here are few with pH in alkaline region; you may compare these 2 for difference in structure and dynamics of 2 sites...which specific genra were dominating 2 niches..