Geothermal ecosystems on Mt. Erebus, Antarctica, support diverse and taxonomically novel biota.

ABSTRACT: Mt. Erebus, Antarctica, is the southernmost active volcano in the world and harbors diverse geothermally unique ecosystems, including "Subglacial" and "Exposed" features, surrounded by a vast desert of ice and snow. Previous studies, while limited in scope, have highlighted the unique and potentially endemic biota of Mt. Erebus. Here, we provide an amplicon-based biodiversity study across all domains of life and all types of geothermal features, with physicochemical and biological data from 48 samples (39 Exposed and 9 Subglacial) collected through various field seasons. We found potentially high taxonomic novelty among prokaryotes and fungi, supporting past hypotheses of high endemism due to the distinctive and isolated environment; in particular, the large number of taxonomically diverge

SUBMITTER: Rasmussen TB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11523049 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature