A microbial ecosystem beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet
Liquid water has been known to occur beneath the Antarctic ice sheet for more than 40 years, but only recently have these subglacial aqueous environments been recognized as microbial ecosystems that may influence biogeochemical transformations on a global scale. Here we present the first geomicrobio...
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10278/44005 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13667 |
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ftuniveneziairis:oai:iris.unive.it:10278/44005 2024-04-14T08:02:54+00:00 A microbial ecosystem beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet B. C. Christner J. C. Priscu A. M. Achberger S. P. Carter K. Christianson A. B. Michaud J. A. Mikucki A. C. Mitchell M. L. Skidmore Trista J. Vick Majors BARBANTE, Carlo B. C., Christner J. C., Priscu A. M., Achberger Barbante, Carlo S. P., Carter K., Christianson A. B., Michaud J. A., Mikucki A. C., Mitchell M. L., Skidmore Trista J., Vick Majors 2014 STAMPA http://hdl.handle.net/10278/44005 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13667 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000340508200035 volume:512 firstpage:310 lastpage:313 numberofpages:4 journal:NATURE http://hdl.handle.net/10278/44005 doi:10.1038/nature13667 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-84906544965 info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess ACTIVE RESERVOIR BENEATH SUBGLACIAL LAKE WHILLANS DISSOLVED ORGANIC-CARBON RIBOSOMAL-RNA GENES DENITRIFIER METHOD AQUATIC SYSTEMS STREAM VOSTOK THYMIDINE BACTERIA Settore CHIM/01 - Chimica Analitica info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2014 ftuniveneziairis https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13667 2024-03-21T18:13:58Z Liquid water has been known to occur beneath the Antarctic ice sheet for more than 40 years, but only recently have these subglacial aqueous environments been recognized as microbial ecosystems that may influence biogeochemical transformations on a global scale. Here we present the first geomicrobiological description of water and surficial sediments obtained from direct sampling of a subglacial Antarctic lake. Subglacial Lake Whillans (SLW) lies beneath approximately 800 m of ice on the lower portion of the Whillans Ice Stream (WIS) in West Antarctica and is part of an extensive and evolving subglacial drainage network. The water column of SLW contained metabolically active microorganisms and was derived primarily from glacial ice melt with solute sources from lithogenic weathering and a minor seawater component. Heterotrophic and autotrophic production data together with small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and biogeochemical data indicate that SLW is a chemosynthetically driven ecosystem inhabited by a diverse assemblage of bacteria and archaea. Our results confirm that aquatic environments beneath the Antarctic ice sheet support viable microbial ecosystems, corroborating previous reports suggesting that they contain globally relevant pools of carbon and microbes that can mobilize elements from the lithosphere and influence Southern Ocean geochemical and biological systems. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Southern Ocean West Antarctica Whillans Ice Stream Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia: ARCA (Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca) Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic West Antarctica West Antarctic Ice Sheet Whillans ENVELOPE(-64.250,-64.250,-84.450,-84.450) Whillans Ice Stream ENVELOPE(-145.000,-145.000,-83.667,-83.667) Nature 512 7514 310 313 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia: ARCA (Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca) |
op_collection_id |
ftuniveneziairis |
language |
English |
topic |
ACTIVE RESERVOIR BENEATH SUBGLACIAL LAKE WHILLANS DISSOLVED ORGANIC-CARBON RIBOSOMAL-RNA GENES DENITRIFIER METHOD AQUATIC SYSTEMS STREAM VOSTOK THYMIDINE BACTERIA Settore CHIM/01 - Chimica Analitica |
spellingShingle |
ACTIVE RESERVOIR BENEATH SUBGLACIAL LAKE WHILLANS DISSOLVED ORGANIC-CARBON RIBOSOMAL-RNA GENES DENITRIFIER METHOD AQUATIC SYSTEMS STREAM VOSTOK THYMIDINE BACTERIA Settore CHIM/01 - Chimica Analitica B. C. Christner J. C. Priscu A. M. Achberger S. P. Carter K. Christianson A. B. Michaud J. A. Mikucki A. C. Mitchell M. L. Skidmore Trista J. Vick Majors BARBANTE, Carlo A microbial ecosystem beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet |
topic_facet |
ACTIVE RESERVOIR BENEATH SUBGLACIAL LAKE WHILLANS DISSOLVED ORGANIC-CARBON RIBOSOMAL-RNA GENES DENITRIFIER METHOD AQUATIC SYSTEMS STREAM VOSTOK THYMIDINE BACTERIA Settore CHIM/01 - Chimica Analitica |
description |
Liquid water has been known to occur beneath the Antarctic ice sheet for more than 40 years, but only recently have these subglacial aqueous environments been recognized as microbial ecosystems that may influence biogeochemical transformations on a global scale. Here we present the first geomicrobiological description of water and surficial sediments obtained from direct sampling of a subglacial Antarctic lake. Subglacial Lake Whillans (SLW) lies beneath approximately 800 m of ice on the lower portion of the Whillans Ice Stream (WIS) in West Antarctica and is part of an extensive and evolving subglacial drainage network. The water column of SLW contained metabolically active microorganisms and was derived primarily from glacial ice melt with solute sources from lithogenic weathering and a minor seawater component. Heterotrophic and autotrophic production data together with small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and biogeochemical data indicate that SLW is a chemosynthetically driven ecosystem inhabited by a diverse assemblage of bacteria and archaea. Our results confirm that aquatic environments beneath the Antarctic ice sheet support viable microbial ecosystems, corroborating previous reports suggesting that they contain globally relevant pools of carbon and microbes that can mobilize elements from the lithosphere and influence Southern Ocean geochemical and biological systems. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved. |
author2 |
B. C., Christner J. C., Priscu A. M., Achberger Barbante, Carlo S. P., Carter K., Christianson A. B., Michaud J. A., Mikucki A. C., Mitchell M. L., Skidmore Trista J., Vick Majors |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
B. C. Christner J. C. Priscu A. M. Achberger S. P. Carter K. Christianson A. B. Michaud J. A. Mikucki A. C. Mitchell M. L. Skidmore Trista J. Vick Majors BARBANTE, Carlo |
author_facet |
B. C. Christner J. C. Priscu A. M. Achberger S. P. Carter K. Christianson A. B. Michaud J. A. Mikucki A. C. Mitchell M. L. Skidmore Trista J. Vick Majors BARBANTE, Carlo |
author_sort |
B. C. Christner |
title |
A microbial ecosystem beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet |
title_short |
A microbial ecosystem beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet |
title_full |
A microbial ecosystem beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet |
title_fullStr |
A microbial ecosystem beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet |
title_full_unstemmed |
A microbial ecosystem beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet |
title_sort |
microbial ecosystem beneath the west antarctic ice sheet |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10278/44005 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13667 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-64.250,-64.250,-84.450,-84.450) ENVELOPE(-145.000,-145.000,-83.667,-83.667) |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic West Antarctica West Antarctic Ice Sheet Whillans Whillans Ice Stream |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic West Antarctica West Antarctic Ice Sheet Whillans Whillans Ice Stream |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Southern Ocean West Antarctica Whillans Ice Stream |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Southern Ocean West Antarctica Whillans Ice Stream |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000340508200035 volume:512 firstpage:310 lastpage:313 numberofpages:4 journal:NATURE http://hdl.handle.net/10278/44005 doi:10.1038/nature13667 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-84906544965 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13667 |
container_title |
Nature |
container_volume |
512 |
container_issue |
7514 |
container_start_page |
310 |
op_container_end_page |
313 |
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1796318477306298368 |