Imperial College London
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ProfessorMartinSiegert

Faculty of Natural Sciences, The Grantham Institute for Climate Change

Visiting Professor
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 9666m.siegert Website

 
 
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Assistant

 

Ms Gosia Gayer +44 (0)20 7594 9666

 
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Location

 

Grantham Directors OfficeSherfield BuildingSouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Malard:2019:10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461,
author = {Malard, L and abacká, M and Magiopoulos, I and Mowlem, M and Hodson, A and Tranter, M and Siegert, M and Pearce, D},
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
title = {Spatial variability in Antarctic surface snow bacterial communities},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461},
volume = {10},
year = {2019}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - It was once a long-held view that the Antarctic was a pristine environment with low biomass, low biodiversity and low rates of microbial activity. However, as the intensity of scientific investigation has increased, so these views have started to change. In particular, the role and impact of human activity toward indigenous microbial communities has started to come under more intense scrutiny. During the Subglacial Lake Ellsworth exploration campaign in December 2012, a microbiological survey was conducted to determine the extent and likelihood of exogenous input into the subglacial lake system during the hot-water drilling process. Snow was collected from the surface to represent that used for melt water production for hot-water drilling. The results of this study showed that snow used to provide melt water differed in its microbiological composition from that of the surrounding area and raised the question of how the biogeography of snow-borne microorganisms might influence the potential outcome of scientific analyses. In this study, we investigated the biogeography of microorganisms in snow around a series of Antarctic logistic hubs, where human activity was clearly apparent, and from which scientific investigations have been undertaken. A change in microbial community structure with geographical location was apparent and, notably, a decrease in alpha diversity at more remote southern latitudes. Soil-related microorganisms dominated microbial assemblages suggesting terrestrial input, most likely from long-range aeolian transport into continental Antarctica. We also observed that relic DNA was not a major issue when assessing snow samples. Overall, our observations might have profound implications for future scientific activities in Antarctica, such as the need to establish “no-go” protected areas, the need for better characterization of field sites and improved protocols for sterilization and verification of ice drilling equipment.
AU  - Malard,L
AU  - abacká,M
AU  - Magiopoulos,I
AU  - Mowlem,M
AU  - Hodson,A
AU  - Tranter,M
AU  - Siegert,M
AU  - Pearce,D
DO  - 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461
PY  - 2019///
SN  - 1664-302X
TI  - Spatial variability in Antarctic surface snow bacterial communities
T2  - Frontiers in Microbiology
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00461
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/68056
VL  - 10
ER  -
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