Assessing trace element contamination in Fildes Peninsula (King George Island) and Ardley Island, Antarctic

Amaro, Eduardo; Padeiro, Ana; Ferro, André Mão de; Mota, A.M.; Leppe, Marcelo; Verkulich, Sergey; Hughes, Kevin A.; Peter, Hans‐Ulrich; Canário, João

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.05.018

Cited by 64 publications

(53 citation statements)

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“…persistent pollutants transported from other parts of the world [ 3 , 8 , 9 ], or may result from local activities such as fishing, tourism or research [ 5 , 10 ]. Relatively high levels of metal concentrations have been reported from several sites of the maritime Antarctica, partly resulting from the natural geochemical activity occurring in this region [ 3 , 11 , 12 ], but they could also be a consequence of cumulative human activity [ 13 ]. The natural input may have been amplified by global and local anthropogenic activities such as global industrialization and air pollution via atmospheric and oceanic circulation and deposition, as well as by regional maritime shipping, oil spills, debris, sewage, and fuel combustion, among others [ 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil features in rookeries of Antarctic penguins reveal sea to land biotransport of chemical pollutants

et al. 2017

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The main soil physical-chemical features, the concentrations of a set of pollutants, and the soil microbiota linked to penguin rookeries have been studied in 10 selected sites located at the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula (Maritime Antarctica). This study aims to test the hypothesis that biotransport by penguins increases the concentration of pollutants, especially heavy metals, in Antarctic soils, and alters its microbiota. Our results show that penguins do transport certain chemical elements and thus cause accumulation in land areas through their excreta. Overall, a higher penguin activity is associated with higher organic carbon content and with higher concentrations of certain pollutants in soils, especially cadmium, cooper and arsenic, as well as zinc and selenium. In contrast, in soils that are less affected by penguins’ faecal depositions, the concentrations of elements of geochemical origin, such as iron and cobalt, increase their relative weighted contribution, whereas the above-mentioned pollutants maintain very low levels. The concentrations of pollutants are far higher in those penguin rookeries that are more exposed to ship traffic. In addition, the soil microbiota of penguin-influenced soils was studied by molecular methods. Heavily penguin-affected soils have a massive presence of enteric bacteria, whose relative dominance can be taken as an indicator of penguin influence. Faecal bacteria are present in addition to typical soil taxa, the former becoming dominant in the microbiota of penguin-affected soils, whereas typical soil bacteria, such as Actinomycetales, co-dominate the microbiota of less affected soils. Results indicate that the continuous supply by penguin faeces, and not the selectivity by increased pollutant concentrations is the main factor shaping the soil bacterial community. Overall, massive penguin influence results in increased concentrations of certain pollutants and in a strong change in taxa dominance in the soil bacterial community.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil features in rookeries of Antarctic penguins reveal sea to land biotransport of chemical pollutants

et al. 2017

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“…A considerable fraction of such uncultured bacteria corresponds to members of the NP-rich Actinobacteria [16,17] and Cyanobacteria [18,19] phyla.King George Island is one of the largest ice-free and biodiverse areas in maritime Antarctica [20]. It harbors a high density of scientific stations, particularly in Maxwell Bay [21], where most of terrestrial biology research takes place. Although bacterial diversity studies have been conducted in this area [22,23], the diversity of bacterial biosynthetic genes has not been a target of study.…”

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Diversity of Bacterial Biosynthetic Genes in Maritime Antarctica

et al. 2020

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Bacterial natural products (NPs) are still a major source of new drug leads. Polyketides (PKs) and non-ribosomal peptides (NRP) are two pharmaceutically important families of NPs and recent studies have revealed Antarctica to harbor endemic polyketide synthase (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) genes, likely to be involved in the production of novel metabolites. Despite this, the diversity of secondary metabolites genes in Antarctica is still poorly explored. In this study, a computational bioprospection approach was employed to study the diversity and identity of PKS and NRPS genes to one of the most biodiverse areas in maritime Antarctica-Maxwell Bay. Amplicon sequencing of soil samples targeting ketosynthase (KS) and adenylation (AD) domains of PKS and NRPS genes, respectively, revealed abundant and unexplored chemical diversity in this peninsula. About 20% of AD domain sequences were only distantly related to characterized biosynthetic genes. Several PKS and NRPS genes were found to be closely associated to recently described metabolites including those from uncultured and candidate phyla. The combination of new approaches in computational biology and new culture-dependent and -independent strategies is thus critical for the recovery of the potential novel chemistry encoded in Antarctica microorganisms. target the highly conserved ketosynthase (KS) and adenylation (AD) domains of PKS and NRPS genes, respectively. A growing number of studies have employed the PCR-based sequence tag approach to uncover PKS and NRPS gene diversity across different environmental microbiomes [7][8][9].Extreme environments, such as Antarctica, have the potential to reveal novel molecules since they are still a poorly explored source of chemical scaffolds and novel chemical diversity [10,11]. As such, metabarcoding approaches to study PKS and NRPS diversity in Antarctic ecosystems represent a simple and effective strategy to understand the biosynthetic potential of a large number of sampling sites [7]. A couple of such studies have been carried out very recently in Antarctica [12,13] revealing that soils at different Antarctica locations harbor multiple endemic PKS and NRPS genes, likely to be involved in the synthesis of new chemical diversity. In Antarctic soils, the percentage of yet-uncultured genera is expected to be much higher [14] than the 82% described for general soils [15]. A considerable fraction of such uncultured bacteria corresponds to members of the NP-rich Actinobacteria [16,17] and Cyanobacteria [18,19] phyla.King George Island is one of the largest ice-free and biodiverse areas in maritime Antarctica [20]. It harbors a high density of scientific stations, particularly in Maxwell Bay [21], where most of terrestrial biology research takes place. Although bacterial diversity studies have been conducted in this area [22,23], the diversity of bacterial biosynthetic genes has not been a target of study. Here, we perform a detailed study on soil samples from Maxwell Bay, with the main goal of assessing the...

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“…Estudo semelhante em solos da Península Fildes foi proposto por Amaro e colaboradores, 28 no qual obtiveram concentração de Pb igual a 6200 µg kg -1 e Cd igual a 400 µg kg -1 , superior aos valores encontrados nesse trabalho (525-2314 µg kg -1 para Pb e 55-194 µg kg -1 para Cd). Essa diferença de concentração observada pode ser devido aos diferentes procedimentos de digestão aplicados em cada trabalho, que pode influenciar na disponibilidade do elemento para quantificação, bem como a diferença dos pontos de coleta.…”

Section: Determinação E Avaliação Das Concentrações De Pb CD Sn Counclassified

“…Amaro et al 28 encontraram concentração de As igual a 3800 µg kg -1 em amostras de solo da Península Fildes, enquanto que Ribeiro et al 29 estudaram a concentração de As na Baía Almirantado-Antártica e relataram uma faixa de concentração de 2000 a 12000 µg kg -1 , semelhante à faixa encontrada neste estudo (4517 a 11539 µg kg -1 ).…”

Section: Determinação E Avaliação Das Concentrações De Pb CD Sn Counclassified

Avaliação dos teores de Pb, Cd, Sn, Co, Hg, Mo e As em solos da península Fildes - Antártica

et al. 2016

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EVALUATION OF Pb, Cd, Sn, Co, Hg, Mo AND As IN SOIL FROM FILDES PENINSULA -ANTARCTICA. Antarctic Continent is one of the few places that has not been explored at all, but studies show that this place is suffering interference by human activities. Therefore, monitoring of this region becomes very important. After optimization and verification of the methodology, the concentrations of Pb, Cd, Sn, Co, Hg, Mo and As in soil samples collected in the Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica, were determined by ICP-MS. The ranges found (µg kg -1 ) were: for Pb 525.2-2314.1, for Cd 54. , for Co 2095.0-11094.1, for Hg < 2.4-54.6, for Mo 5.3-38.7 and for As 120.3-1297.1. In general, the presence of these elements can be attributed to different factors, such as natural composition of soil, melting process and transport of chemical elements caused by physical phenomena as sea and air currents, besides anthropic contamination. Using enrichment factor was possible suggest contribution by anthropic activities mainly for Co and As. Thus, it is important monitoring the elements levels constantly assisting in environmental protection.Keywords: soil; Antarctica; trace elements; ICP-MS. INTRODUÇÃOA Antártica, devido ao seu isolamento geográfico e condições climáticas extremas é um dos ambientes mais preservados do mundo e por muito tempo foi considerado um ambiente controle, porém, estudos mostram que essa região não tem escapado do impacto das atividades antrópicas. [1][2][3] Devido ao isolamento, os bens naturais desse continente demoraram um tempo para ser explorados. Foi a partir de 1900 que as Ilhas Antárticas começaram a ser exploradas principalmente para a pesca de baleias e outros animais marinhos, o que provocou o transporte e introdução de espécies animais e vegetais exóticas, acarretando um desequilíbrio ambiental. Além disso, algumas espécies de animais marinhos da região estiveram próximos à extinção. 1,4 Nos últimos 50 anos a Antártica tem se tornado um espaço de estudos científicos, com a implantação de estações de pesquisa de diversas nacionalidades. Atualmente existem cerca de 79 estações científicas nas Ilhas Antárticas, sendo uma parte permanente e outra somente em funcionamento no período do verão. 5O crescimento das atividades antrópicas nesse continente impulsionou a regulamentação de normas que visam à diminuição dos impactos causados pela ocupação humana. Com base nessas normas foi assinado em 1991 o Protocolo de Proteção Ambiental do Tratado da Antártica, principal documento internacional que regulamenta as atividades na Antártica, ficando estabelecido que este território se caracteriza como uma reserva natural destinada à paz e à ciência, excluindo todo e qualquer tipo de exploração. 6 Além da contaminação causada pelas estações científicas, pesquisadores tem se empenhado em estudar a poluição causada a partir da absorção de poluentes provenientes do transporte de partículas pelas correntes de ar e marítimas em grande escala geográfica, originados das atividades humanas desenvolvidas em outros cont...

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Assessing trace element contamination in Fildes Peninsula (King George Island) and Ardley Island, Antarctic

Cited by 64 publications

References 13 publications

Soil features in rookeries of Antarctic penguins reveal sea to land biotransport of chemical pollutants

Soil features in rookeries of Antarctic penguins reveal sea to land biotransport of chemical pollutants

Diversity of Bacterial Biosynthetic Genes in Maritime Antarctica

Avaliação dos teores de Pb, Cd, Sn, Co, Hg, Mo e As em solos da península Fildes - Antártica

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