Bacterial community structure on two alpine debris-covered glaciers and biogeography of Polaromonas phylotypes.

ABSTRACT: High-elevation cold environments are considered ideal places to test hypotheses about mechanisms of bacterial colonization and succession, and about bacterial biogeography. Debris-covered glaciers (glaciers whose ablation area is mainly covered by a continuous layer of rock debris fallen from the surrounding mountains) have never been investigated in this respect so far. We used the Illumina technology to analyse the V5 and V6 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplified from 38 samples collected in July and September 2009 at different distances from the terminus on two debris-covered glaciers (Miage and Belvedere--Italian Alps). Heterotrophic taxa-dominated communities and bacterial community structure changed according to ice ablation rate, organic carbon content of the

SUBMITTER: Franzetti A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3721117 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature