Delineation of simple microecosystems associated with the quartz stone habitat in the Vestfold Hills

• Other Authors: LINE, MARTIN (hasPrincipalInvestigator), LINE, MARTIN (processor), Australian Antarctic Data Centre (publisher)
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Australian Antarctic Data Centre
• Subjects: biota; ROCKS/MINERALS/CRYSTALS; EARTH SCIENCE; SOLID EARTH; BACTERIA/ARCHAEA; BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION; COMMUNITY STRUCTURE; BIOSPHERE; ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS; COMMUNITY DYNAMICS; CYANOBACTERIA; QUARTZ; SOIL; VESTFOLD HILLS; FIELD SURVEYS; CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA; GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR; Antarctic; Vestfold; Vestfold Hills; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://researchdata.ands.org.au/delineation-simple-microecosystems-vestfold-hills/700371; https://doi.org/10.4225/15/5876f9ff1b679; https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/ASAC_992; http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-617536

Quartz stone sublithic microbial communities and underlying soil, retrieved from the Vestfold Hills were investigated using a variety of traditional and molecular methods. Although direct epifluorescent counts of the sublithic biota averaged 1.1 x 109 cells g-1 dry weight and underlying soil, 0.5 x 109 cells g-1 dry weight, viable counts were on average 3-orders of magnitude higher in sublithic samples cf. underlying soil. Enrichment and molecular analyses revealed the predominant cyanobacteria were non-halophilic, able to grow optimally at 15-20 degrees C, and were related to the Phormidium subgroup with several distinct morphotypess and phylotypes present. Sublithic heterotrophic bacterial populations and those of underlying soils included mostly psychrotolerant taxa typical of Antarctic soil. However, psychrophilic and halophilic bacteria, mostly members of the alpha subdivision of the Proteobacteria and the order Cytophagales, were abundant in the sublithic growth (20-40% of the viable count and about 50% of isolated individual taxa) but absent from underlying soils. It is suggested that quartz stone subliths might constitute a 'refuge' for psychrophilic bacteria. The download file contains: 8 files: File 1. - Sample location data". Lists quartz stones collected for analysis, indicating site location, date of sampling, description of surrounding area and indicates whether or not soil immediately adjacent to the stone was collected. File 2. - Gross colony diversity data quartz stone sublith". Indicates colony diversity (indicated by number of grossly different colony types on agar medium used). File 3. - Strain information quartz stone sublith isolates". Lists strains isolates, including strain designation, stone sample origin, and basic cellular and colonial morphological characteristics. File 4. - Temperature/salinity response data". ". Lists responses of quartz stone sublith isolates to temperature and tolerance to salinity. File 5. - Phenotypic data". Lists detailed phenotypic data for select quartz stone sublith isolates. File 6. - Cell population data quartz stone subliths and soil". Indicates plate count estimates obtained after use of different media (salty, non-salty, dilute, non-dilute) as well as epifluoresecent direct count data for both quartz stone subliths and for immediately adjacent soil not covered by the stone. File 7. - Bacterial isolate 16S rRNA gene sequence data". " Sequence data for quartz stone sublith derived isolates. All sequences deposited on the GenBank (NCBI) nucleotide database. All sequences are shown in the FASTA format. File 8. - Cloned 16S rRNA gene sequence data". Sequence data for cloned sequences obtained by direct PCR from quartz stone sublith biofilm . All sequences deposited on the GenBank (NCBI) nucleotide database. All sequences are shown in the FASTA format.