title: Microbial diversity and functional capacity in polar soils.
abstract: Global change is disproportionately affecting cold environments (polar and high elevation regions), with potentially negative impacts on microbial diversity and functional processes. In most cold environments the combination of low temperatures, and physical stressors, such as katabatic wind episodes and limited water availability result in biotic systems, which are in trophic terms very simple and primarily driven by microbial communities. Metagenomic approaches have provided key insights on microbial communities in these systems and how they may adapt to stressors and contribute towards mediating crucial biogeochemical cycles. Here we review, the current knowledge regarding edaphic-based microbial diversity and functional processes in Antarctica, and the Artic. Such insights are crucial and help to establish a baseline for understanding the impact of climate change on Polar Regions.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa.
authors.forename: Thulani Peter
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Makhalanyane
authors.affiliation: Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa.
authors.forename: Marc Warwick
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Van Goethem
authors.affiliation: Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa. Electronic address: don.cowan@up.ac.za.
authors.forename: Don Arthur
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Cowan
mesh_terms: D001110:Arctic Regions; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D056186:Metagenomics; D012987:Soil; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D012987:Soil