Microbes in the Antarctic Continent Essay -- Biology, Microorganism

Microbes in the Antarctic continent play an important role in the ecosystem function and sustainability. The variation in snow and ice covers in Antarctic continent markedly affects all ecological variables including the composition of microbial assemblages and their function (Quayle et al., 2002). Minor changes in the global climate could significantly affect the ice and snow melt regimen in this continent. Therefore the Antarctic ecosystem is considered to be a good ecological indicator for the global climate change (Walther et al., 2002). Since 1961, an increase in 1Â ºC temperature from -11Â ºC to approximately -10 Â ºC) in Schirmacher Oasis has been recorded (http://south.aari.nw.ru/data/data.asp?lang=0&station=1). This may have resulted in an increased melting of snow, glacial and continental ice thereby affecting the lacustrine systems in Schirmacher Oasis. It is possible that Lake Tawani(P), which initially existed as a low-catchment depression, progressively filled with w ater from glacial ice and snow melts through visible surface channels and eventually become a permanent landlocked freshwater lake with a thriving microbial ecosystem (Figure 1). Although over 100 freshwater lakes in Schirmacher Oasis harbor a rich microbial consortium, only a few lakes have been subjected to the study of the microbial diversity. Our results revealed that analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of the culture-independent community DNA had a better coverage of the diversity of the bacteria in the samples. Overall, the 16S rRNA gene analysis resulted in the identification of 8 different phyla, 20 different genera including two clones from the Candidate OP 10 groups. Interestingly two genera, Sphingomonas and Janthinobacterium were found to be comm... ...intermixing of some of the lake waters with the snow and ice melt through channels that connect them. Therefore the dynamic microbial ecosystem at the Schirmacher Oasis lakes is driven by the interaction between the annual weather events and microorganisms inhabiting in these lakes. In this study, we describe the bacterial diversity in a previously unexplored freshwater Lake Tawani (projected) [described here in Lake Tawani(P)] using culture-based and culture-independent methods. We have targeted the bacterial conserved segments of the 16S Small Subunit ribosomal RNA gene (described here in 16S rRNA) and the rpoB gene that code for the ÃŽ ²-subunit bacterial RNA polymerase. Investigating the microbial diversity of the lakes especially those connected through channels will help understand the dynamic nature of the freshwater lake ecosystems on the Antarctic continent.