A metagenomic assessment of winter and summer bacterioplankton from Antarctica Peninsula coastal surface waters.

ABSTRACT: Antarctic surface oceans are well-studied during summer when irradiance levels are high, sea ice is melting and primary productivity is at a maximum. Coincident with this timing, the bacterioplankton respond with significant increases in secondary productivity. Little is known about bacterioplankton in winter when darkness and sea-ice cover inhibit photoautotrophic primary production. We report here an environmental genomic and small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) analysis of winter and summer Antarctic Peninsula coastal seawater bacterioplankton. Intense inter-seasonal differences were reflected through shifts in community composition and functional capacities encoded in winter and summer environmental genomes with significantly higher phylogenetic and functional diversity in winter. In

SUBMITTER: Grzymski JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3446801 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature