The identification of environmental parameters which could influence soil bacterial community composition on the Antarctic Peninsula – a statistical approach
We adopted a statistical approach to identify environmental parameters which might be important in structuring the bacterial community in soils on the Antarctic Peninsula. An assessment of soil bacterial community composition at six environmentally distinct locations was made using terminal
restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) profiling. All locations are near to Rothera Point, on
Reptile Ridge and adjacent islands in Ryder Bay, off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, and were
selected to maximize the range of environmental variability easily accessible from Rothera Station. A range
of environmental variables was determined, and a Spearman rank correlation test was used to link the
community structure and environmental variables. We demonstrated that the taxonomic distribution of
the soil bacteria among the six study sites was relatively even, especially among the islands within Ryder
Bay, although each location possessed a distinct community structure. Significant differences in the
environmental conditions and soil chemical parameters allowed us to identify differences in location and
soil pH as the environmental variables that could most probably explain the soil bacterial community
patterns. This observation is consistent with an increasing number of studies from both Arctic and Antarctic
locations, and will contribute to the design of future parameter-specific studies to test the potential
functional significance of pH to the Antarctic soil bacterial community.
Details
Publication status:
Published
Author(s):
Authors: Chong, C.W., Pearce, D.A. ORCID record for D.A. Pearce, Convey, P. ORCID record for P. Convey, Tan, I.K.P.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're okay with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead more
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.