title: Minimal influence of water and nutrient content on the bacterial community composition of a maritime Antarctic soil.
abstract: Bacterial community composition was determined by culture-independent PCR-based methods in two soils differing markedly in their water, C, N and P contents sampled from Mars Oasis on Alexander Island, western Antarctic Peninsula. 16S rRNA sequences of the phyla Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, α-Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were commonly (> 8% frequency) obtained from soil. Those of β-, γ- and δ-Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, Gemmatimonadetes and Firmicutes were less frequent. Comparisons of slopes of collector's curves and the Shannon-Weiner diversity index indicated no difference in overall bacterial diversity between the two soils, although sequences of δ-Proteobacteria and the cyanobacterial genus Leptolyngbya were more commonly derived from the soil with the higher water and nutrient content. The data suggest that different levels of soil water, C, N and P have only a minor effect on the bacterial community composition of maritime Antarctic soils.
authors.affiliation: British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB30ET, UK. kne@bas.ac.uk
authors.forename: Kevin K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Newsham
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Pearce
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Bridge
mesh_terms: D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D044822:Biodiversity; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012987:Soil; D014867:Water; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen