Regulation of Microbial Activity Rates by Organic Matter in the Ross Sea during the Austral Summer 2017

The active prokaryotic communities proliferate in the ecosystems of the Antarctic Ocean, participating in biogeochemical cycles and supporting higher trophic levels. They are regulated by several environmental and ecological forcing, such as the characteristics of the water masses subjected to globa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microorganisms
Main Authors: Zaccone, Renata, Misic, Cristina, Azzaro, Filippo, Azzaro, Maurizio, Maimone, Giovanna, Mangoni, Olga, Fusco, Gianna, Rappazzo, Alessandro Ciro, La Ferla, Rosabruna
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: MDPI 2020
Subjects:
Article
Antarctic
Antarctic Ocean
Austral
Ross Sea
Terra Nova Bay
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Online Access:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7569985/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32825597
https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8091273
Description
Summary:The active prokaryotic communities proliferate in the ecosystems of the Antarctic Ocean, participating in biogeochemical cycles and supporting higher trophic levels. They are regulated by several environmental and ecological forcing, such as the characteristics of the water masses subjected to global warming and particulate organic matter (POM). During summer 2017, two polynyas in the Ross Sea were studied to evaluate key-microbiological parameters (the proteasic, glucosidasic, and phosphatasic activities, the microbial respiratory rates, the prokaryotic abundance and biomass) in relation to quantitative and qualitative characteristics of POM. Results showed significant differences in the epipelagic layer between two macro-areas (Terra Nova Bay and Ross Sea offshore area). Proteins and carbohydrates were metabolized rapidly in the offshore area (as shown by turnover times), due to high enzymatic activities in this zone, indicating fresh and labile organic compounds. The lower quality of POM in Terra Nova Bay, as shown by the higher refractory fraction, led to an increase in the turnover times of proteins and carbohydrates. Salinity was the physical constraint that played a major role in the distribution of POM and microbial activities in both areas.

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