<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> This study characterizes the microbial community composition over Haas Mound, one of the most prominent cold-water coral mounds of the Logachev Mound province (Rockall Bank, NE Atlantic). We outline patterns of distribution vertically – from the seafloor to the water column – and laterally – across the mound – and couple these to mound topography and hydrography. Samples of water, sediment and <i>Lophelia pertusa</i> were collected in 2012 and 2013 from locations

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... at were chosen based on high definition video surveys. Temperature and current measurements were obtained at two sites at the summit and foot of Haas Mound to study near-bed hydrodynamic conditions. Overlaying water was collected from depths of 400 m as well as 5 and 10 m above the bottom using a CTD/Rosette system. Near-bottom water, sediment and <i>L. pertusa</i> mucus and skeleton samples were obtained with a box corer. Of all these biotopes, Roche GS-FLX amplicon sequencing targeting both Bacteria and Archaea was carried out, augmenting our understanding of deep sea microbial consortia. The pattern of similarities between samples, visualized by multi-dimensional scaling (MDS), indicates a strong link between the distribution of microbes and the specific biotopes. The microbial operational taxonomic unit (OTU) diversity was the highest in near-bottom water, which was sampled in the coral framework. For the first time, Thaumarchaeota marine group I (MGI) were found in <i>L. pertusa</i> mucus; <i>Endozoicomonas</i> was detected in skeleton, mucus and near-bottom water, whereas <i>Mycoplasma</i> was only detected in skeleton and near-bottom water, however not in mucus. Analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) indicates that overlaying water is well-mixed at 400 m depth but less so at 5 and 10 m above the bottom, where the composition of microbial communities differed significantly between summit, slope and off-mound. At all locations, the near-bottom water differed significantly from water at 5 m above the bottom, illustrating that the near-bottom water in between the coral framework represents a separate microbial habitat. Furthermore, the observed spatial heterogeneity in microbial communities is discussed in relation to environmental conditions.</p>