Microbiology of the Cryosphere: Diversity, Habitat Constraints and Ecology

• Main Authors: Larose, Catherine, Maccario, Lorrie, Vogel, Timothy
• Other Authors: Ampère, Département Bioingénierie (BioIng), Ampère (AMPERE), École Centrale de Lyon (ECL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA Lyon), Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-École Centrale de Lyon (ECL), Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: [SDE]Environmental Sciences; Arctic; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03827601; https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811230134_0015

International audience Polar Regions are transforming; they provide visible signals of change, and yet, are also actors intrinsically involved in global cooling through a number of feedback mechanisms. These changes alter the structure and functioning of many cryosphere ecosystems and by extension those of the planet. Due to the extreme temperatures and the limited presence of liquid water, snow and ice were regarded simply as freezers that entrap and store microorganisms in a vegetative state and, therefore, the microbial ecology of the cryosphere was largely overlooked. Here we summarize research on the role of microorganisms in the functioning of environmental ices by highlighting the links between their biotic and abiotic components. This chapter focuses on observations of snow and ice in the Arctic and explores the biodiversity, the microbial population dynamics and influence of microorganisms on biogeochemical cycling, and their interactions with their physical and chemical environment. Through these studies, we have challenged the view of snow and ice as simply cold storage and have shown that they should be considered as ecosystems.