Geochemistry, fatty acid content and phylogenetic affiliation of soil samples from Livingston Island, South Shetland Archipelago, Antarctica ...

• Main Authors: Ganzert, Lars, Lipski, André, Hubberten, Hans-Wolfgang, Wagner, Dirk
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2011
• Subjects: Priority Programme 1158 Antarctic Research with Comparable Investigations in Arctic Sea Ice Areas SPP1158; Arctic; Antarctic; Livingston Island; Antarc*; Antarctica; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.847799; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.847799

Microorganisms inhabit very different soil habitats in the ice-free areas of Antarctica, playing a major role in nutrient cycling in cold environments. We studied the soil characteristics and the dominant bacterial composition from nine different soil profiles located on Livingston Island (maritime Antarctica). The total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) values were high for the vegetated soils, decreasing with depth, whereas the values for the mineral soils were generally low. Soil pH was more acidic for moss-covered soils and neutral to alkaline for mineral soils. Numbers of culturable heterotrophic bacteria were higher at vegetated sites, but significant numbers were also detectable in carbon-depleted soils. Patterns of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) revealed a highly heterogeneous picture throughout the soil profiles. Subsequent sequencing of DGGE bands revealed in total 252 sequences that could be assigned to 114 operational taxonomic units, showing the dominance of members of the ... : Supplement to: Ganzert, Lars; Lipski, André; Hubberten, Hans-Wolfgang; Wagner, Dirk (2011): The impact of different soil parameters on the community structure of dominant bacteria from nine different soils located on Livingston Island, South Shetland Archipelago, Antarctica. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 76(3), 476-491 ...