Protection of Antarctic microbial communities–‘out of sight, out of mind’

• Published in: Frontiers in Microbiology
• Main Authors: Hughes, Kevin, Cowan, Don, Wilmotte, Annick
• Other Authors: CIP - Centre d'Ingénierie des Protéines - ULiège
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Research Foundation 2015
• Subjects: Antarctica; Conservation; microbial diversity; human impact; inviolate area; Life sciences; Microbiology; Environmental sciences & ecology; Sciences du vivant; Microbiologie; Sciences de l’environnement & écologie; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctique*
• Online Access: https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/178845; https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/178845/1/fmicb-outofsight.pdf; https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00151

peer reviewed RecentadvancesinmolecularbiologytechniqueshaveshownthepresenceofdiversemicrobialcommunitiesandendemicspeciesinAntarctica.Endemicmicrobesmaybeapotentialsourceofnovelbiotechnologicallyimportantcompounds,including,forexample,newantibiotics.Thus,thescientificandbiotechnologicalvalueofAntarcticterrestrialmicrobialhabitatscanbecompromisedbyhumanvisitationtoagreaterextentthanpreviouslyrealized.Theever-increasinghumanfootprintinAntarcticamakesconsiderationofthistopicmorepressing,asthenumberoflocationsknowntobepristinehabitats,whereincreasinglysophisticatedcutting-edgeresearchtechniquesmaybeusedtotheirfullpotential,declines.ExaminationoftheProtectedAreassystemoftheAntarcticTreatyshowsthatmicrobialhabitatsaregenerallypoorlyprotected.NoothercontinentonEarthisdominatedtothesamedegreebymicrobialspecies,andrealopportunitiesexisttodevelopnewwaysofconceptualizingandimplementingconservationofmicrobialbiogeographyonacontinentalscale.Herewehighlightpotentialthreatsbothtotheconservationofterrestrialmicrobialecosystems,andtofuturescientificresearchrequiringtheirstudy. Climate change and the Antarctic Microbial Diversity