Microbial community structure, pigment composition, and nitrogen source of red snow in Antarctica.
"Red snow" refers to red-colored snow, caused by bloom of cold-adapted phototrophs, so-called snow algae. The red snow found in Langhovde, Antarctica, was investigated from several viewpoints. Various sizes of rounded red cells were observed in the red snow samples under microscopy. Pigment analysis demonstrated accumulation of astaxanthin in the red snow. Community structure of microorganisms was analyzed by culture-independent methods. In the analyses of small subunit rRNA genes, several species of green algae, fungus, and various phylotypes of bacteria were detected. The detected bacteria were closely related to psychrophilic or psychrotolerant heterotrophic strains, or sequences detected from low-temperature environments. As predominant lineage of bacteria, members of the genus Hymenobacter were consistently detected from samples obtained in two different years. Nitrogen isotopic compositions analysis indicated that the red snow was significantly 15N-enriched. Based on an estimation of trophic level, it was suggested that primary nitrogen sources of the red snow were supplied from fecal pellet of seabirds including a marine top predator of Antarctica.
The Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Kita-19, Nishi-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan.
Masanori
M
Fujii
Yoshinori
Y
Takano
Hisaya
H
Kojima
Tamotsu
T
Hoshino
Ryouichi
R
Tanaka
Manabu
M
Fukui
D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D048028:DNA, Algal / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005658:Fungi / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D010802:Phylogeny; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000032:analysis*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012914:Snow / Q000382:microbiology*
D048028:DNA, Algal; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D009584:Nitrogen