Hypolithic microbial communities of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: Khan, Nuraan, Tuffin, Marla I., Stafford, William, Cary, S. Craig, Lacap, Donnabella C., Pointing, Stephen B., Cowan, Don A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2011
• Subjects: Hypolith; Antarctic Dry Valleys; microbial colonisation; DGGE; Phylogenetics; Antarctic; Garwood; McMurdo Dry Valleys; Miers; Miers Valley; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Biology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/5658; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1061-7

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...