Bacterial Activity in South Pole Snow
ABSTRACT Large populations (200 to 5,000 cells ml −1 in snowmelt) of bacteria were present in surface snow and firn from the south pole sampled in January 1999 and 2000. DNA isolated from this snow yielded ribosomal DNA sequences similar to those of several psychrophilic bacteria and a bacterium whi...
Published in: | Applied and Environmental Microbiology |
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Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
American Society for Microbiology
2000
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.66.10.4514-4517.2000 https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.66.10.4514-4517.2000 |
Summary: | ABSTRACT Large populations (200 to 5,000 cells ml −1 in snowmelt) of bacteria were present in surface snow and firn from the south pole sampled in January 1999 and 2000. DNA isolated from this snow yielded ribosomal DNA sequences similar to those of several psychrophilic bacteria and a bacterium which aligns closely with members of the genus Deinococcus , an ionizing-radiation- and desiccation-resistant genus. We also obtained evidence of low rates of bacterial DNA and protein synthesis which indicates that the organisms were metabolizing at ambient subzero temperatures (−12 to −17°C). |
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