Polar solar panels: Arctic and Antarctic microbiomes display similar taxonomic profiles

• Published in: Environmental Microbiology Reports
• Main Authors: Tanner, Kristie, Martí, Jose Manuel, Belliure, Josabel, Fernández‐Méndez, Mar, Molina‐Menor, Esther, Peretó, Juli, Porcar, Manuel
• Other Authors: Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2017
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.12608; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2F1758-2229.12608; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1758-2229.12608; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/1758-2229.12608

Summary Solar panels located on high (Arctic and Antarctic) latitudes combine the harshness of the climate with that of the solar exposure. We report here that these polar solar panels are inhabited by similar microbial communities in taxonomic terms, dominated by Hymenobacter spp., Sphingomonas spp. and Ascomycota. Our results suggest that solar panels, even on high latitudes, can shape a microbial ecosystem adapted to irradiation and desiccation.