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Soil microbial carbon and nitrogen transformations at a glacial foreland on Anvers Island, Antarctic Peninsula

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Abstract

Microbial communities can play a critical role in soil development and succession at glacial forelands through their contribution to soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. Using a combination of molecular fingerprinting techniques and metabolic rate measurements, we examined the soil microbial community composition and key transformations in the C and N cycles at a glacial foreland on Anvers Island along the Antarctic Peninsula. Soils were sampled along transects representing a chronosequence of <1 to approximately 10 years since deglaciation. The soil microbial community was active adjacent to the receding edge of the glacier, where soil had been ice-free for <1 year. A survey of the microbial community composition identified typical soil bacterial species such as Arthrobacter and Sphingomonas, as well as known Antarctic heterotrophs, cyanobacteria and fungi. The soil C cycle over this zone was dominated by phototrophic microbial activity, while the N cycle was dominated by heterotrophic N2-fixation and not cyanobacterial N2-fixation as found at other recently deglaciated forelands. Other N transformations such as ammonia oxidation and denitrification appeared to be of limited relevance.

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Acknowledgments

We thank personnel at Palmer Station and Raytheon Polar Services Company for their assistance in sample collection, administrative and logistical support. We thank Phil Spindler for his assistance in sample collection during the 2007–2008 field season. We also thank Scott Bates, Jessica Groch, and Ruth Potrafka for their assistance in the laboratory. This work was supported by National Science Foundation grant OPP-0230579.

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  1. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4601, USA

    Sarah L. Strauss, Ferran Garcia-Pichel & Thomas A. Day

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  1. Sarah L. Strauss
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Correspondence to Sarah L. Strauss.

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Strauss, S.L., Garcia-Pichel, F. & Day, T.A. Soil microbial carbon and nitrogen transformations at a glacial foreland on Anvers Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Polar Biol 35, 1459–1471 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-012-1184-5

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