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Spatial pattern in Antarctica: what can we learn from Antarctic bacterial isolates?

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Abstract

A range of small- to moderate-scale studies of patterns in bacterial biodiversity have been conducted in Antarctica over the last two decades, most suggesting strong correlations between the described bacterial communities and elements of local environmental heterogeneity. However, very few of these studies have advanced interpretations in terms of spatially associated patterns, despite increasing evidence of patterns in bacterial biogeography globally. This is likely to be a consequence of restricted sampling coverage, with most studies to date focusing only on a few localities within a specific Antarctic region. Clearly, there is now a need for synthesis over a much larger spatial to consolidate the available data. In this study, we collated Antarctic bacterial culture identities based on the 16S rRNA gene information available in the literature and the GenBank database (n > 2,000 sequences). In contrast to some recent evidence for a distinct Antarctic microbiome, our phylogenetic comparisons show that a majority (~75 %) of Antarctic bacterial isolates were highly similar (≥99 % sequence similarity) to those retrieved from tropical and temperate regions, suggesting widespread distribution of eurythermal mesophiles in Antarctic environments. However, across different Antarctic regions, the dominant bacterial genera exhibit some spatially distinct diversity patterns analogous to those recently proposed for Antarctic terrestrial macroorganisms. Taken together, our results highlight the threat of cross-regional homogenisation in Antarctic biodiversity, and the imperative to include microbiota within the framework of biosecurity measures for Antarctica.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by University of Malaya (UM) Research Grant RG020/09SUS, and partially supported by UM Postdoctoral Fellowship to Chong Chun Wie. We thank Peter Fretwell (BAS Mapping and Geographic Information Centre) for Fig. 2, and Prof. Aharon Oren and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this paper. This paper contributes to the BAS ‘Polar Science for Planet Earth’ and SCAR ‘Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica’ research programmes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Chun Wie Chong

  2. Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Yuh Shan Goh & Irene Kit Ping Tan

  3. Ecosystems Programme, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK

    Peter Convey & David Pearce

  4. National Antarctic Research Center, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Peter Convey & Irene Kit Ping Tan

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  1. Chun Wie Chong
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  2. Yuh Shan Goh
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  3. Peter Convey
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Correspondence to Chun Wie Chong.

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Communicated by A. Oren.

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Chong, C.W., Goh, Y.S., Convey, P. et al. Spatial pattern in Antarctica: what can we learn from Antarctic bacterial isolates?. Extremophiles 17, 733–745 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-013-0555-3

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