5 research outputs found
Culturable bacteria community development in postglacial soils of Ecology Glacier, King George Island, Antarctica
Glacier forelands are excellent sites in which to study microbial succession because conditions change
rapidly in the emerging soil. Development of the bacterial community was studied along two transects on lateral
moraines of Ecology Glacier, King George Island, by culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches
(denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis, DGGE). Environmental conditions such as cryoturbation and soil
composition affected both abundance and phylogenetic diversity of bacterial communities. Microbiocenosis
structure along transect 1(severe cryoturbation) differed markedly from that along transect 2 (minor
cryoturbation). Soil physical and chemical factors changed along the chronosequence (time since exposure) and
influenced the taxonomic diversity of cultivated bacteria (CB), particularly along transect 2. Arthrobacter spp.
played a pioneer role, and were present in all soil samples, but were most abundant along transect 1. Cultivated
bacteria isolated from transect 2 were taxonomically more diverse than those cultivated from transect 1; those
from transect 1 tended to express a broader range of enzyme and assimilation activities. Our data suggest that
cryoturbation is a major factor in controlling bacterial community development in postglacial soils, shed light on
microbial succession in glacier forelands, and add a new parameter to models that describe succession
phenomena