Spatial Variability of Antarctic Surface Snow Bacterial Communities
It was once a long-held view that the Antarctic was a pristine environment with low biomass, low biodiversity and low rates of microbial activity. However, as the intensity of scientific investigation has increased, so these views have started to change. In particular, the role and impact of human a...
Published in: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2019
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1983/c0ebf081-b4ed-4357-a545-00eb6b8fff48 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/c0ebf081-b4ed-4357-a545-00eb6b8fff48 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/files/193595456/Full_text_PDF_final_published_version_.pdf |
id |
ftubristolcris:oai:research-information.bris.ac.uk:publications/c0ebf081-b4ed-4357-a545-00eb6b8fff48 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftubristolcris:oai:research-information.bris.ac.uk:publications/c0ebf081-b4ed-4357-a545-00eb6b8fff48 2024-04-28T07:57:02+00:00 Spatial Variability of Antarctic Surface Snow Bacterial Communities Malard, Lucie A Šabacká, Marie Magiopoulos, Iordanis Mowlem, Matt Hodson, Andy Tranter, Martyn Siegert, Martin J Pearce, David A 2019-03-26 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/1983/c0ebf081-b4ed-4357-a545-00eb6b8fff48 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/c0ebf081-b4ed-4357-a545-00eb6b8fff48 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/files/193595456/Full_text_PDF_final_published_version_.pdf eng eng https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/c0ebf081-b4ed-4357-a545-00eb6b8fff48 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Malard , L A , Šabacká , M , Magiopoulos , I , Mowlem , M , Hodson , A , Tranter , M , Siegert , M J & Pearce , D A 2019 , ' Spatial Variability of Antarctic Surface Snow Bacterial Communities ' , Frontiers in Microbiology , vol. 10 , no. MAR , 461 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461 antartic snow biogeography Ellsworth LAke microbial diversity relic DNA article 2019 ftubristolcris https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461 2024-04-03T15:56:29Z It was once a long-held view that the Antarctic was a pristine environment with low biomass, low biodiversity and low rates of microbial activity. However, as the intensity of scientific investigation has increased, so these views have started to change. In particular, the role and impact of human activity toward indigenous microbial communities has started to come under more intense scrutiny. During the Subglacial Lake Ellsworth exploration campaign in December 2012, a microbiological survey was conducted to determine the extent and likelihood of exogenous input into the subglacial lake system during the hot-water drilling process. Snow was collected from the surface to represent that used for melt water production for hot-water drilling. The results of this study showed that snow used to provide melt water differed in its microbiological composition from that of the surrounding area and raised the question of how the biogeography of snow-borne microorganisms might influence the potential outcome of scientific analyses. In this study, we investigated the biogeography of microorganisms in snow around a series of Antarctic logistic hubs, where human activity was clearly apparent, and from which scientific investigations have been undertaken. A change in microbial community structure with geographical location was apparent and, notably, a decrease in alpha diversity at more remote southern latitudes. Soil-related microorganisms dominated microbial assemblages suggesting terrestrial input, most likely from long-range aeolian transport into continental Antarctica. We also observed that relic DNA was not a major issue when assessing snow samples. Overall, our observations might have profound implications for future scientific activities in Antarctica, such as the need to establish "no-go" protected areas, the need for better characterization of field sites and improved protocols for sterilization and verification of ice drilling equipment. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica antartic* University of Bristol: Bristol Research Frontiers in Microbiology 10 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Bristol: Bristol Research |
op_collection_id |
ftubristolcris |
language |
English |
topic |
antartic snow biogeography Ellsworth LAke microbial diversity relic DNA |
spellingShingle |
antartic snow biogeography Ellsworth LAke microbial diversity relic DNA Malard, Lucie A Šabacká, Marie Magiopoulos, Iordanis Mowlem, Matt Hodson, Andy Tranter, Martyn Siegert, Martin J Pearce, David A Spatial Variability of Antarctic Surface Snow Bacterial Communities |
topic_facet |
antartic snow biogeography Ellsworth LAke microbial diversity relic DNA |
description |
It was once a long-held view that the Antarctic was a pristine environment with low biomass, low biodiversity and low rates of microbial activity. However, as the intensity of scientific investigation has increased, so these views have started to change. In particular, the role and impact of human activity toward indigenous microbial communities has started to come under more intense scrutiny. During the Subglacial Lake Ellsworth exploration campaign in December 2012, a microbiological survey was conducted to determine the extent and likelihood of exogenous input into the subglacial lake system during the hot-water drilling process. Snow was collected from the surface to represent that used for melt water production for hot-water drilling. The results of this study showed that snow used to provide melt water differed in its microbiological composition from that of the surrounding area and raised the question of how the biogeography of snow-borne microorganisms might influence the potential outcome of scientific analyses. In this study, we investigated the biogeography of microorganisms in snow around a series of Antarctic logistic hubs, where human activity was clearly apparent, and from which scientific investigations have been undertaken. A change in microbial community structure with geographical location was apparent and, notably, a decrease in alpha diversity at more remote southern latitudes. Soil-related microorganisms dominated microbial assemblages suggesting terrestrial input, most likely from long-range aeolian transport into continental Antarctica. We also observed that relic DNA was not a major issue when assessing snow samples. Overall, our observations might have profound implications for future scientific activities in Antarctica, such as the need to establish "no-go" protected areas, the need for better characterization of field sites and improved protocols for sterilization and verification of ice drilling equipment. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Malard, Lucie A Šabacká, Marie Magiopoulos, Iordanis Mowlem, Matt Hodson, Andy Tranter, Martyn Siegert, Martin J Pearce, David A |
author_facet |
Malard, Lucie A Šabacká, Marie Magiopoulos, Iordanis Mowlem, Matt Hodson, Andy Tranter, Martyn Siegert, Martin J Pearce, David A |
author_sort |
Malard, Lucie A |
title |
Spatial Variability of Antarctic Surface Snow Bacterial Communities |
title_short |
Spatial Variability of Antarctic Surface Snow Bacterial Communities |
title_full |
Spatial Variability of Antarctic Surface Snow Bacterial Communities |
title_fullStr |
Spatial Variability of Antarctic Surface Snow Bacterial Communities |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spatial Variability of Antarctic Surface Snow Bacterial Communities |
title_sort |
spatial variability of antarctic surface snow bacterial communities |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/1983/c0ebf081-b4ed-4357-a545-00eb6b8fff48 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/c0ebf081-b4ed-4357-a545-00eb6b8fff48 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/files/193595456/Full_text_PDF_final_published_version_.pdf |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica antartic* |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica antartic* |
op_source |
Malard , L A , Šabacká , M , Magiopoulos , I , Mowlem , M , Hodson , A , Tranter , M , Siegert , M J & Pearce , D A 2019 , ' Spatial Variability of Antarctic Surface Snow Bacterial Communities ' , Frontiers in Microbiology , vol. 10 , no. MAR , 461 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461 |
op_relation |
https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/c0ebf081-b4ed-4357-a545-00eb6b8fff48 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Microbiology |
container_volume |
10 |
_version_ |
1797586285448134656 |