| Summary: | Antarctica is a continent dominated by microbes. A surprisingly large biodiversity of well-adapted microorganisms live permanently in a variety of habitats, ranging from ice-free to permanently frozen areas. Recent studies revealed that some microbial groups exhibit biogeographic patterns, include endemic taxa and have survived in refugia since the formation of the continental ice sheet. Microbial habitats are under constant pressure due to anthropogenic activities which may introduce non-indigenous microorganisms, via bodies, clothing, cargo and food. New ‘entry points‘ for microbial contamination are a consequence of the increase and diversification of tourism and research stations. Climatic changes might furthermore increase the probability of the successful establishment of populations of non-native taxa. The impacts of such introductions are still unknown, and might lead to a loss of the native microbial biodiversity, or its modification, which in turn might affect ecosystem functioning. The recent technical progress in molecular methodologies have generated very sensitive high-throughput analyses and have the potential to describe microbial communities with unprecedented detail. However, we may be losing the pristine Antarctic areas that would enable scientists to study the native microbial flora, its functions and properties. The Protocol on Environmental Protection of the Antarctic Treaty foresees the designation of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPA) to protect “outstanding environmental, scientific, historic, aesthetic, or wilderness values, any combination of those values, or on-going or planned scientific research” (http://www.ats.aq/e/ep_protected.htm). However, the designation of ASPAs has not followed a systematic planning, and often focused on the conservation of large mammals, birds and/or vegetation and other iconic species. Microorganisms have the handicap of generally being invisible without a microscope and relevant expertise, and require molecular methods for species delineation. ...
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