Nieves penitentes are a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme high-elevation environments on Earth
Nieves penitentes are pinnacle-shaped ice structures found at high elevations in the dry Andes. Here we report, using molecular and microscopic approaches, the first description of snow algae communities inhabiting penitente ice at 5,277 m a.s.l., demonstrating a new habitat for snow algae in one of...
Published in: | Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2019
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2019.1618115 https://doaj.org/article/5ff9828f3c39442796bbbe3f214cbef8 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:5ff9828f3c39442796bbbe3f214cbef8 2023-05-15T14:14:33+02:00 Nieves penitentes are a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme high-elevation environments on Earth Lara Vimercati Adam J. Solon Alexandra Krinsky Pablo Arán Dorota L. Porazinska John L. Darcy Cristina Dorador Steven K. Schmidt 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2019.1618115 https://doaj.org/article/5ff9828f3c39442796bbbe3f214cbef8 EN eng Taylor & Francis Group http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2019.1618115 https://doaj.org/toc/1523-0430 https://doaj.org/toc/1938-4246 1523-0430 1938-4246 doi:10.1080/15230430.2019.1618115 https://doaj.org/article/5ff9828f3c39442796bbbe3f214cbef8 Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, Vol 51, Iss 1, Pp 190-200 (2019) snow algae astrobiology nieves penitentes aeolian zone psychrophiles Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2019.1618115 2022-12-31T10:36:35Z Nieves penitentes are pinnacle-shaped ice structures found at high elevations in the dry Andes. Here we report, using molecular and microscopic approaches, the first description of snow algae communities inhabiting penitente ice at 5,277 m a.s.l., demonstrating a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Red ice patches on penitentes contained a microbial community dominated by algae in the genera Chlamydomonas and Chloromonas, both of which were closely related to known snow algae from alpine and polar environments. In contrast, we obtained few snow algae sequences from clear ice, but we did find cyanobacteria sequences and evidence of aeolian-deposited organic matter. Tephra (“soil”) within and just downhill from the penitente field hosted more complex bacterial and eukaryotic communities that were significantly different from ice communities in terms of both alpha and beta diversity. In this environment penitentes provide both water and shelter from harsh winds, high UV radiation, and thermal fluctuations, creating an oasis in an otherwise extreme landscape. Intriguingly, recent planetary investigations have suggested the existence of penitente-like structures on other planetary bodies of our solar system. Therefore, penitentes and the harsh environment that surrounds them provide a new terrestrial analog for astrobiological studies of life beyond Earth. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Pinnacle ENVELOPE(-54.900,-54.900,-61.067,-61.067) Penitente ENVELOPE(-67.233,-67.233,-67.867,-67.867) Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 51 1 190 200 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
snow algae astrobiology nieves penitentes aeolian zone psychrophiles Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
snow algae astrobiology nieves penitentes aeolian zone psychrophiles Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 Lara Vimercati Adam J. Solon Alexandra Krinsky Pablo Arán Dorota L. Porazinska John L. Darcy Cristina Dorador Steven K. Schmidt Nieves penitentes are a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme high-elevation environments on Earth |
topic_facet |
snow algae astrobiology nieves penitentes aeolian zone psychrophiles Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Nieves penitentes are pinnacle-shaped ice structures found at high elevations in the dry Andes. Here we report, using molecular and microscopic approaches, the first description of snow algae communities inhabiting penitente ice at 5,277 m a.s.l., demonstrating a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Red ice patches on penitentes contained a microbial community dominated by algae in the genera Chlamydomonas and Chloromonas, both of which were closely related to known snow algae from alpine and polar environments. In contrast, we obtained few snow algae sequences from clear ice, but we did find cyanobacteria sequences and evidence of aeolian-deposited organic matter. Tephra (“soil”) within and just downhill from the penitente field hosted more complex bacterial and eukaryotic communities that were significantly different from ice communities in terms of both alpha and beta diversity. In this environment penitentes provide both water and shelter from harsh winds, high UV radiation, and thermal fluctuations, creating an oasis in an otherwise extreme landscape. Intriguingly, recent planetary investigations have suggested the existence of penitente-like structures on other planetary bodies of our solar system. Therefore, penitentes and the harsh environment that surrounds them provide a new terrestrial analog for astrobiological studies of life beyond Earth. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lara Vimercati Adam J. Solon Alexandra Krinsky Pablo Arán Dorota L. Porazinska John L. Darcy Cristina Dorador Steven K. Schmidt |
author_facet |
Lara Vimercati Adam J. Solon Alexandra Krinsky Pablo Arán Dorota L. Porazinska John L. Darcy Cristina Dorador Steven K. Schmidt |
author_sort |
Lara Vimercati |
title |
Nieves penitentes are a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme high-elevation environments on Earth |
title_short |
Nieves penitentes are a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme high-elevation environments on Earth |
title_full |
Nieves penitentes are a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme high-elevation environments on Earth |
title_fullStr |
Nieves penitentes are a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme high-elevation environments on Earth |
title_full_unstemmed |
Nieves penitentes are a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme high-elevation environments on Earth |
title_sort |
nieves penitentes are a new habitat for snow algae in one of the most extreme high-elevation environments on earth |
publisher |
Taylor & Francis Group |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2019.1618115 https://doaj.org/article/5ff9828f3c39442796bbbe3f214cbef8 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-54.900,-54.900,-61.067,-61.067) ENVELOPE(-67.233,-67.233,-67.867,-67.867) |
geographic |
Pinnacle Penitente |
geographic_facet |
Pinnacle Penitente |
genre |
Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic |
genre_facet |
Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic |
op_source |
Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, Vol 51, Iss 1, Pp 190-200 (2019) |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2019.1618115 https://doaj.org/toc/1523-0430 https://doaj.org/toc/1938-4246 1523-0430 1938-4246 doi:10.1080/15230430.2019.1618115 https://doaj.org/article/5ff9828f3c39442796bbbe3f214cbef8 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2019.1618115 |
container_title |
Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
container_volume |
51 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
190 |
op_container_end_page |
200 |
_version_ |
1766286959914778624 |