title: Bacterial and eukaryotic biodiversity patterns in terrestrial and aquatic habitats in the Sør Rondane Mountains, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica.
abstract: The bacterial and microeukaryotic biodiversity were studied using pyrosequencing analysis on a 454 GS FLX+ platform of partial SSU rRNA genes in terrestrial and aquatic habitats of the Sør Rondane Mountains, including soils, on mosses, endolithic communities, cryoconite holes and supraglacial and subglacial meltwater lenses. This inventory was complemented with Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis targeting Chlorophyta and Cyanobacteria. OTUs belonging to the Rotifera, Chlorophyta, Tardigrada, Ciliophora, Cercozoa, Fungi, Bryophyta, Bacillariophyta, Collembola and Nematoda were present with a relative abundance of at least 0.1% in the eukaryotic communities. Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, FBP and Actinobacteria were the most abundant bacterial phyla. Multivariate analyses of the pyrosequencing data revealed a general lack of differentiation of both eukaryotes and prokaryotes according to habitat type. However, the bacterial community structure in the aquatic habitats was dominated by the filamentous cyanobacteria Leptolyngbya and appeared to be significantly different compared with those in dry soils, on mosses, and in endolithic habitats. A striking feature in all datasets was the detection of a relatively large amount of sequences new to science, which underscores the need for additional biodiversity assessments in Antarctic inland locations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Protistology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium dagmar.obbels@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Obbels
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Protistology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Elie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Verleyen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Protein Engineering, Institute of Chemistry, Université de Liège, Sart-TilmanB6, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marie-José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mano
authors.affiliation: Centre for Protein Engineering, Institute of Chemistry, Université de Liège, Sart-TilmanB6, B-4000 Liège, Belgium Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology RAS, Pr-t 60-letya Oktyabrya, 7/2, Moscow 117312, Russia NRC Kurchatov Institute, Akademika Kurchatova pl. 1, Moscow, 12 31 82, Russia.
authors.forename: Zorigto
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Namsaraev
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Protistology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sweetlove
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bjorn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tytgat
authors.affiliation: Centre for Protein Engineering, Institute of Chemistry, Université de Liège, Sart-TilmanB6, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Carazo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Protistology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Aaike
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Wever
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Protistology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: D'hondt
authors.affiliation: Botanic Garden Meise, Department Bryophytes-Thallophytes, Nieuwelaan 38, B-1860 Meise, Belgium Federation Wallonia-Brussels, General Administration of the Non-Compulsory Education and Scientific Research, Rue A. Lavallée 1, 1080 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ertz
authors.affiliation: Centre for Polar Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dukelská 135, 379 82, Třeboň, Czech republic.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Elster
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Protistology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sabbe
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.affiliation: Centre for Protein Engineering, Institute of Chemistry, Université de Liège, Sart-TilmanB6, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Annick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wilmotte
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Protistology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Vyverman
mesh_terms: D061271:Acidobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D039903:Actinobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D041963:Bacteroidetes / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D044822:Biodiversity; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000235:genetics*; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D058645:Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis; D017753:Ecosystem; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D012987:Soil
keywords: Antarctica; bacteria; cyanobacteria; eukaryotes; green algae; terrestrial biodiversity