Molecular evidence for an active endogenous microbiome beneath glacial ice.

ABSTRACT: Geologic, chemical and isotopic evidence indicate that Earth has experienced numerous intervals of widespread glaciation throughout its history, with roughly 11% of present day Earth's land surface covered in ice. Despite the pervasive nature of glacial ice both today and in Earth's past and the potential contribution of these systems to global biogeochemical cycles, the composition and phylogenetic structure of an active microbial community in subglacial systems has yet to be described. Here, using RNA-based approaches, we demonstrate the presence of active and endogenous archaeal, bacterial and eukaryal assemblages in cold (0-1 °C) subglacial sediments sampled from Robertson Glacier, Alberta, Canada. Patterns in the phylogenetic structure and composition of subglacial sediment small subu

SUBMITTER: Hamilton TL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3695297 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature