The Biodiversity and Geochemistry of Cryoconite Holes in Queen Maud Land, East Antarctica.

ABSTRACT: Cryoconite holes are oases of microbial diversity on ice surfaces. In contrast to the Arctic, where during the summer most cryoconite holes are 'open', in Continental Antarctica they are most often 'lidded' or completely frozen year-round. Thus, they represent ideal systems for the study of microbial community assemblies as well as carbon accumulation, since individual cryoconite holes can be isolated from external inputs for years. Here, we use high-throughput sequencing of the 16S and 18S rRNA genes to describe the bacterial and eukaryotic community compositions in cryoconite holes and surrounding lake, snow, soil and rock samples in Queen Maud Land. We cross correlate our findings with a broad range of geochemical data including for the first time ¹³C and ¹⁴C analy

SUBMITTER: Lutz S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6616603 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature