Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
The McMurdo Dry Valleys region of eastern Antarctica is a cold desert that presents extreme challenges to life. Hypolithic microbial colonisation of the subsoil surfaces of translucent quartz rocks represent a significant source of terrestrial biomass and productivity in this region. Previous studie...
Published in: | Polar Biology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Springer
2011
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10289/5658 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1061-7 |
id |
ftunivwaikato:oai:researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz:10289/5658 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivwaikato:oai:researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz:10289/5658 2023-11-12T04:08:28+01:00 Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica Khan, Nuraan Tuffin, Marla I. Stafford, William Cary, S. Craig Lacap, Donnabella C. Pointing, Stephen B. Cowan, Don A. 2011 https://hdl.handle.net/10289/5658 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1061-7 en eng Springer http://www.springerlink.com/content/w9618424552r1587/ Polar Biology Khan, N., Tuffin, M., Stafford, W., Cary, S.C., Lacap, D., Pointing, S.B. & Cowan, D. (2011). Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Polar Biology, 34(11), 1657-1668. https://hdl.handle.net/10289/5658 doi:10.1007/s00300-011-1061-7 Hypolith Antarctic Dry Valleys microbial colonisation DGGE Phylogenetics Journal Article 2011 ftunivwaikato https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1061-7 2023-10-17T17:24:10Z The McMurdo Dry Valleys region of eastern Antarctica is a cold desert that presents extreme challenges to life. Hypolithic microbial colonisation of the subsoil surfaces of translucent quartz rocks represent a significant source of terrestrial biomass and productivity in this region. Previous studies have described hypoliths as dominated by cyanobacteria. However, hypoliths that occur in the lower Dry Valleys such as the Miers, Garwood and Marshall Valleys are unusual as they are not necessarily cyanobacteria-dominated. These hypoliths support significant eukaryal colonisation by fungi and mosses in addition to cyanobacteria- dominated bacterial assemblages and so have considerable ecological value in this barren landscape. Here, we characterise these novel hypoliths by analysis of environmental rRNA gene sequences. The hypolithic community was demonstrated to be distinct from the surrounding soil and non-translucent rocks. Hypoliths supported cyanobacterial signatures from the Oscillatoriales and Nostocales. Other heterotrophic bacterial signatures were also recovered, and these were phylogenetically diverse and spanned 8 other bacterial phyla. Archaeal phylotypes recovered were phylogenetically aYliated with the large group of unclassified, uncultured Crenarcheota. Eukaryal phylotypes indicated that free-living ascomycetous fungi, chlorophytes and mosses (Bryum sp.) were all supported by these hypoliths, and these are thought to be responsible for the extensive eukaryotic biomass that develops around quartz rocks. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys Polar Biology The University of Waikato: Research Commons Antarctic Garwood ENVELOPE(164.283,164.283,-78.033,-78.033) McMurdo Dry Valleys Miers ENVELOPE(163.850,163.850,-78.100,-78.100) Miers Valley ENVELOPE(164.200,164.200,-78.100,-78.100) Polar Biology 34 11 1657 1668 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The University of Waikato: Research Commons |
op_collection_id |
ftunivwaikato |
language |
English |
topic |
Hypolith Antarctic Dry Valleys microbial colonisation DGGE Phylogenetics |
spellingShingle |
Hypolith Antarctic Dry Valleys microbial colonisation DGGE Phylogenetics Khan, Nuraan Tuffin, Marla I. Stafford, William Cary, S. Craig Lacap, Donnabella C. Pointing, Stephen B. Cowan, Don A. Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica |
topic_facet |
Hypolith Antarctic Dry Valleys microbial colonisation DGGE Phylogenetics |
description |
The McMurdo Dry Valleys region of eastern Antarctica is a cold desert that presents extreme challenges to life. Hypolithic microbial colonisation of the subsoil surfaces of translucent quartz rocks represent a significant source of terrestrial biomass and productivity in this region. Previous studies have described hypoliths as dominated by cyanobacteria. However, hypoliths that occur in the lower Dry Valleys such as the Miers, Garwood and Marshall Valleys are unusual as they are not necessarily cyanobacteria-dominated. These hypoliths support significant eukaryal colonisation by fungi and mosses in addition to cyanobacteria- dominated bacterial assemblages and so have considerable ecological value in this barren landscape. Here, we characterise these novel hypoliths by analysis of environmental rRNA gene sequences. The hypolithic community was demonstrated to be distinct from the surrounding soil and non-translucent rocks. Hypoliths supported cyanobacterial signatures from the Oscillatoriales and Nostocales. Other heterotrophic bacterial signatures were also recovered, and these were phylogenetically diverse and spanned 8 other bacterial phyla. Archaeal phylotypes recovered were phylogenetically aYliated with the large group of unclassified, uncultured Crenarcheota. Eukaryal phylotypes indicated that free-living ascomycetous fungi, chlorophytes and mosses (Bryum sp.) were all supported by these hypoliths, and these are thought to be responsible for the extensive eukaryotic biomass that develops around quartz rocks. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Khan, Nuraan Tuffin, Marla I. Stafford, William Cary, S. Craig Lacap, Donnabella C. Pointing, Stephen B. Cowan, Don A. |
author_facet |
Khan, Nuraan Tuffin, Marla I. Stafford, William Cary, S. Craig Lacap, Donnabella C. Pointing, Stephen B. Cowan, Don A. |
author_sort |
Khan, Nuraan |
title |
Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica |
title_short |
Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica |
title_full |
Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica |
title_sort |
hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from miers valley, mcmurdo dry valleys, antarctica |
publisher |
Springer |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10289/5658 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1061-7 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(164.283,164.283,-78.033,-78.033) ENVELOPE(163.850,163.850,-78.100,-78.100) ENVELOPE(164.200,164.200,-78.100,-78.100) |
geographic |
Antarctic Garwood McMurdo Dry Valleys Miers Miers Valley |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Garwood McMurdo Dry Valleys Miers Miers Valley |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys Polar Biology |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys Polar Biology |
op_relation |
http://www.springerlink.com/content/w9618424552r1587/ Polar Biology Khan, N., Tuffin, M., Stafford, W., Cary, S.C., Lacap, D., Pointing, S.B. & Cowan, D. (2011). Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Polar Biology, 34(11), 1657-1668. https://hdl.handle.net/10289/5658 doi:10.1007/s00300-011-1061-7 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1061-7 |
container_title |
Polar Biology |
container_volume |
34 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
1657 |
op_container_end_page |
1668 |
_version_ |
1782328764280078336 |