Bacterial Dynamics in Supraglacial Habitats of the Greenland Ice Sheet

• Published in: Frontiers in Microbiology
• Main Authors: Miranda Jane Nicholes, Christopher James Williamson, Martyn Tranter, Alexandra Holland, Ewa Poniecka, Marian Louise Yallop, The Black & Bloom Group, Alexandre Anesio, Marian Yallop, Christopher Williamson, Miranda Nicholes, Liane Benning, Jim McQuaid, Stefanie Lutz, Jenine McCutcheon, Andy Hodson, Edward Hanna, Tristam Irvine-Fynn, Joseph Cook, Jonathan Bamber, Andrew Tedstone, Jason Box, Marek Stibal
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019
• Subjects: Greenland; ice sheet; bacterial production; bacterial abundance; glacier algae; Microbiology; QR1-502; glacier; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01366; https://doaj.org/article/14cfb60c235e4cf188b07845fe4ee3f3

Current research into bacterial dynamics on the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is biased toward cryoconite holes, despite this habitat covering less than 8% of the ablation (melt) zone surface. In contrast, the expansive surface ice, which supports wide-spread Streptophyte micro-algal blooms thought to enhance surface melt, has been relatively neglected. This study aims to understand variability in bacterial abundance and production across an ablation season on the GrIS, in relation to micro-algal bloom dynamics. Bacterial abundance reached 3.3 ± 0.3 × 105 cells ml−1 in surface ice and was significantly linearly related to algal abundances during the middle and late ablation periods (R2 = 0.62, p < 0.05; R2 = 0.78, p < 0.001). Bacterial production (BP) of 0.03–0.6 μg C L−1 h−1 was observed in surface ice and increased in concert with glacier algal abundances, indicating that heterotrophic bacteria consume algal-derived dissolved organic carbon. However, BP remained at least 28 times lower than net primary production, indicating inefficient carbon cycling by heterotrophic bacteria and net accumulation of carbon in surface ice throughout the ablation season. Across the supraglacial environment, cryoconite sediment BP was at least four times greater than surface ice, confirming that cryoconite holes are the true “hot spots” of heterotrophic bacterial activity.