Preliminary Analysis of Life within a Former Subglacial Lake Sediment in Antarctica
Since the first descriptions of Antarctic subglacial lakes, there has been a growing interest and awareness of the possibility that life will exist and potentially thrive in these unique and little known environments. The unusual combination of selection pressures, and isolation from the rest of the...
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doaj-c34029ce6ca74367bdd37604ad81dacb2020-11-24T23:55:34ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182013-09-015368070210.3390/d5030680Preliminary Analysis of Life within a Former Subglacial Lake Sediment in AntarcticaGavin BurnsCharles S. CockellMichael A. S. ThorneDominic A. HodgsonDavid A. PearceSince the first descriptions of Antarctic subglacial lakes, there has been a growing interest and awareness of the possibility that life will exist and potentially thrive in these unique and little known environments. The unusual combination of selection pressures, and isolation from the rest of the biosphere, might have led to novel adaptations and physiology not seen before, or indeed to the potential discovery of relic populations that may have become extinct elsewhere. Here we report the first microbiological analysis of a sample taken from a former subglacial lake sediment in Antarctica (Lake Hodgson, on the Antarctic Peninsula). This is one of a number of subglacial lakes just emerging at the margins of the Antarctic ice sheet due to the renewed onset of deglaciation. Microbial diversity was divided into 23.8% Actinobacteria, 21.6% Proteobacteria, 20.2% Planctomycetes and 11.6% Chloroflexi, characteristic of a range of habitat types ( Overall, common sequences were neither distinctly polar, low temperature, freshwater nor marine). Twenty three percent of this diversity could only be identified to “unidentified bacterium”. Clearly these are diverse ecosystems with enormous potential.http://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/5/3/680Antarcticabacteriabiodiversitylakepolarsubglacialsediment |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Gavin Burns Charles S. Cockell Michael A. S. Thorne Dominic A. Hodgson David A. Pearce |
spellingShingle |
Gavin Burns Charles S. Cockell Michael A. S. Thorne Dominic A. Hodgson David A. Pearce Preliminary Analysis of Life within a Former Subglacial Lake Sediment in Antarctica Diversity Antarctica bacteria biodiversity lake polar subglacial sediment |
author_facet |
Gavin Burns Charles S. Cockell Michael A. S. Thorne Dominic A. Hodgson David A. Pearce |
author_sort |
Gavin Burns |
title |
Preliminary Analysis of Life within a Former Subglacial Lake Sediment in Antarctica |
title_short |
Preliminary Analysis of Life within a Former Subglacial Lake Sediment in Antarctica |
title_full |
Preliminary Analysis of Life within a Former Subglacial Lake Sediment in Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Preliminary Analysis of Life within a Former Subglacial Lake Sediment in Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Preliminary Analysis of Life within a Former Subglacial Lake Sediment in Antarctica |
title_sort |
preliminary analysis of life within a former subglacial lake sediment in antarctica |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Diversity |
issn |
1424-2818 |
publishDate |
2013-09-01 |
description |
Since the first descriptions of Antarctic subglacial lakes, there has been a growing interest and awareness of the possibility that life will exist and potentially thrive in these unique and little known environments. The unusual combination of selection pressures, and isolation from the rest of the biosphere, might have led to novel adaptations and physiology not seen before, or indeed to the potential discovery of relic populations that may have become extinct elsewhere. Here we report the first microbiological analysis of a sample taken from a former subglacial lake sediment in Antarctica (Lake Hodgson, on the Antarctic Peninsula). This is one of a number of subglacial lakes just emerging at the margins of the Antarctic ice sheet due to the renewed onset of deglaciation. Microbial diversity was divided into 23.8% Actinobacteria, 21.6% Proteobacteria, 20.2% Planctomycetes and 11.6% Chloroflexi, characteristic of a range of habitat types ( Overall, common sequences were neither distinctly polar, low temperature, freshwater nor marine). Twenty three percent of this diversity could only be identified to “unidentified bacterium”. Clearly these are diverse ecosystems with enormous potential. |
topic |
Antarctica bacteria biodiversity lake polar subglacial sediment |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/5/3/680 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT gavinburns preliminaryanalysisoflifewithinaformersubglaciallakesedimentinantarctica AT charlesscockell preliminaryanalysisoflifewithinaformersubglaciallakesedimentinantarctica AT michaelasthorne preliminaryanalysisoflifewithinaformersubglaciallakesedimentinantarctica AT dominicahodgson preliminaryanalysisoflifewithinaformersubglaciallakesedimentinantarctica AT davidapearce preliminaryanalysisoflifewithinaformersubglaciallakesedimentinantarctica |
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