Soil Microorganisms at Paradise Harbor, Antarctica

Abstract

Bacterial counts were generally higher and molds were much more extensive and widely distributed at Paradise Harbor on the Antarctic Peninsula well above the Antarctic Circle, than in areas to the south. Thermophilic bacteria were fou~d only in soils that had been disturbed or contaminated by man and other animals. Mesophilic counts on media made with deioni~ed or sea water, with few exceptions, were in the same range as psychrophiles. Spore-formmg bac~eria were present in regions where contamination had taken place or where birds nested. Dunng the short summer, significant growth response of the soil microflora to organic additives (peptone and glucose) was observed. However, no correlations could be made with physiological and metabolic activity, which showed no measurable increase.

Highly specialized microbial diversity in hyper-arid polar desert

“…The Dry Valleys floor comprises dry permafrost (7) that commonly supports a polygonal surface terrain characterized by a desert pavement of sandstone, quartz, and granitic rocks embedded in mineral soils. Higher plants and animals are absent (8), although microbial colonization has been recorded for some Dry Valleys locations. This desert can be viewed as nearing the cold-arid limit for life, because evidence for microbial activity in inland snow is questionable (see ref.…”

The Role of Pygoscelid Penguin Rookeries in Nutrient Cycles at Admiralty Bay, King George Island

“…A crucial role in this process is played by microbial activity. The high activity of micro-organisms observed in the maritime Antarctic, which promotes a fast rate of decomposition, is more typical for temperate-climate zones than for the much colder conditions found in contintental Antarctica (Boyd et al 1970;Cameron et al 1970;Cameron 1972;Orchard and Corderoy 1983;Ramsay 1983).…”

“…Both micro-biological and chemical studies of the formation of ornithogenic soils have been largely restricted to the surface of the substratum of rookeries (Allen and Northover 1967;Boyd et al 1970;Everett 1976;Wilson and Bain 1976;Smith 1978Smith , 1979Orchard and Corderoy 1983;Ramsay 1983). Changes in the chemical composition of runoff water in rookery areas have not get been reported.…”

Microbial ecology of terrestrial Antarctica: Are microbial systems at risk from human activities?

“…In addition to climate and edaphic factors, other contributing factors may include the presence of penguin rookeries and camp-scavenging birds (Zunino et a!. 1985) and the increased accumulation of organic matter (Boyd et al 1970). Cameron et al (1977) identified a gradient of microbial abundance decreasing from the coast of south Victoria Land to Mt.…”