Project description:Because of severe abiotic limitations, Antarctic soils represent simplified ecosystems, where microorganisms are the principle drivers of nutrient cycling. This relative simplicity makes these ecosystems particularly vulnerable to perturbations, like global warming, and the Antarctic Peninsula is among the most rapidly warming regions on the planet. However, the consequences of the ongoing warming of Antarctica on microorganisms and the processes they mediate are unknown. Here, using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and qPCR, we report a number of highly consistent changes in microbial community structure and abundance across very disparate sub-Antarctic and Antarctic environments following three years of experimental field warming (+ 0.5-2°C). Specifically, we found significant increases in the abundance of fungi and bacteria and in the Alphaproteobacteria-to-Acidobacteria ratio. These alterations were linked to a significant increase in soil respiration. Furthermore, the shifts toward generalist or opportunistic bacterial communities following warming weakened the linkage between bacterial diversity and functional diversity. Warming also increased the abundance of some organisms related to the N-cycle, detected as an increase in the relative abundance of nitrogenase genes via GeoChip microarray analyses. Our results demonstrate that soil microorganisms across a range of sub-Antarctic and Antarctic environments can respond consistently and rapidly to increasing temperatures, thereby potentially disrupting soil functioning.
Project description:Two fecal samples from humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off the West Antarctic Peninsula were analyzed on a Q Exactive Orbitrap MS to characterize the metal-binding ligand pool that is released into seawater.
Project description:Due to the progressive environmental change that the Antarctic Peninsula has undergone over time, a more comprehensive overview of the metabolic features of Colobanthus quitensis becomes particularly interesting to assess its ability to respond to environmental stresses. To this end, a differential proteomic approach has been used to study the response of C. quitensis to different environmental cues.
2023-03-11 | PXD037324 | Pride
Project description:Metagenomic data on soil microbial communities in the Antarctic Peninsula
