TY - JOUR

T1 - Microbial communities in permafrost soils of larsemann hills, eastern antarctica

T2 - Environmental controls and effect of human impact

AU - Alekseev, Ivan

AU - Zverev, A.

AU - Abakumov, Evgeny

PY - 2020/8

Y1 - 2020/8

N2 - Although ice-free areas cover only about 0.1% of Antarctica and are characterized by harsh environmental conditions, these regions provide quite diverse conditions for the soil-forming process, having various physical and geochemical properties, and also assuring different conditions for living organisms. This study is aimed to determine existing soil microbial communities, their relationship with soil parameters and the influence of anthropogenic activity in Larsemann Hills, Eastern Antarctica. The soil microbiome was investigated at different locations using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. The taxonomic analysis of the soil microbiomes revealed 12 predominant bacterial and archaeal phyla—Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, Bacteroidetes, Armatimonadetes, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Thaumarchaeota. Some specific phyla have been also found in sub-surface horizons of soils investigated, thus providing additional evidence of the crucial role of gravel pavement in saving the favorable conditions for both soil and microbiome development. Moreover, our study also revealed that some bacterial species might be introduced into Antarctic soils by human activities. We also assessed the effect of different soil parameters on microbial community in the harsh environmental conditions of Eastern Antarctica. pH, carbon and nitrogen, as well as fine earth content, were revealed as the most accurate predictors of soil bacterial community composition.

AB - Although ice-free areas cover only about 0.1% of Antarctica and are characterized by harsh environmental conditions, these regions provide quite diverse conditions for the soil-forming process, having various physical and geochemical properties, and also assuring different conditions for living organisms. This study is aimed to determine existing soil microbial communities, their relationship with soil parameters and the influence of anthropogenic activity in Larsemann Hills, Eastern Antarctica. The soil microbiome was investigated at different locations using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. The taxonomic analysis of the soil microbiomes revealed 12 predominant bacterial and archaeal phyla—Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, Bacteroidetes, Armatimonadetes, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Thaumarchaeota. Some specific phyla have been also found in sub-surface horizons of soils investigated, thus providing additional evidence of the crucial role of gravel pavement in saving the favorable conditions for both soil and microbiome development. Moreover, our study also revealed that some bacterial species might be introduced into Antarctic soils by human activities. We also assessed the effect of different soil parameters on microbial community in the harsh environmental conditions of Eastern Antarctica. pH, carbon and nitrogen, as well as fine earth content, were revealed as the most accurate predictors of soil bacterial community composition.

KW - Antarctica

KW - Extremophiles

KW - Human impact

KW - Microbial communities

KW - Soil parameters

KW - PHYLOGENY

KW - CRYOSOLS

KW - DOMINANT BACTERIA

KW - VALLEY

KW - BIOFILMS

KW - microbial communities

KW - GRADIENT

KW - MICROORGANISMS

KW - soil parameters

KW - ISLAND

KW - extremophiles

KW - BACTERIAL DIVERSITY

KW - human impact

KW - VICTORIA LAND

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090652904&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/cc21673b-1cd1-374f-858b-045ffcc51e44/

U2 - 10.3390/microorganisms8081202

DO - 10.3390/microorganisms8081202

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85090652904

VL - 8

SP - 1

EP - 19

JO - Microorganisms

JF - Microorganisms

SN - 2076-2607

IS - 8

M1 - 1202

ER -