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Zucconi L, Cavallini G, Canini F. Trends in Antarctic soil fungal research in the context of environmental changes. Braz J Microbiol 2024; 55:1625-1634. [PMID: 38652442 PMCID: PMC11153391 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-024-01333-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Antarctic soils represent one of the most pristine environments on Earth, where highly adapted and often endemic microbial species withstand multiple extremes. Specifically, fungal diversity is extremely low in Antarctic soils and species distribution and diversity are still not fully characterized in the continent. Despite the unique features of this environment and the international interest in its preservation, several factors pose severe threats to the conservation of inhabiting ecosystems. In this light, we aimed to provide an overview of the effects on fungal communities of the main changes endangering the soils of the continent. Among these, the increasing human presence, both for touristic and scientific purposes, has led to increased use of fuels for transport and energy supply, which has been linked to an increase in unintentional environmental contamination. It has been reported that several fungal species have evolved cellular processes in response to these soil contamination episodes, which may be exploited for restoring contaminated areas at low temperatures. Additionally, the effects of climate change are another significant threat to Antarctic ecosystems, with the expected merging of previously isolated ecosystems and their homogenization. A possible reduction of biodiversity due to the disappearance of well-adapted, often endemic species, as well as an increase of biodiversity, due to the spreading of non-native, more competitive species have been suggested. Despite some studies describing the specialization of fungal communities and their correlation with environmental parameters, our comprehension of how soil communities may respond to these changes remains limited. The majority of studies attempting to precisely define the effects of climate change, including in situ and laboratory simulations, have mainly focused on the bacterial components of these soils, and further studies are necessary, including the other biotic components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Zucconi
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.
- National Research Council, Institute of Polar Sciences, Messina, Italy.
| | - Giorgia Cavallini
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Fabiana Canini
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
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2
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Olmastroni S, Simonetti S, Fattorini N, D'Amico V, Cusset F, Bustamante P, Cherel Y, Corsi I. Living in a challenging environment: Monitoring stress ecology by non-destructive methods in an Antarctic seabird. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 922:171249. [PMID: 38431169 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
How Antarctic species are facing historical and new stressors remains under-surveyed and risks to wildlife are still largely unknown. Adélie penguins Pygoscelis adeliae are well-known bioindicators and sentinels of Antarctic ecosystem changes, a true canary in the coal mine. Immuno-haematological parameters have been proved to detect stress in wild animals, given their rapid physiological response that allows them tracking environmental changes and thus inferring habitat quality. Here, we investigated variation in Erythrocyte Nuclear Abnormalities (ENAs) and White Blood Cells (WBCs) in penguins from three clustered colonies in the Ross Sea, evaluating immuno-haematological parameters according to geography, breeding stage, and individual penguin characteristics such as sex, body condition and nest quality. Concentrations of mercury (Hg) and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen (as proxies of the penguin's trophic ecology) were analysed in feathers to investigate the association between stress biomarkers and Hg contamination in Adélie penguins. Colony and breeding stage were not supported as predictors of immuno-haematological parameters. ENAs and WBCs were respectively ∼30 % and ∼20 % higher in male than in female penguins. Body condition influenced WBCs, with penguins in the best condition having a ∼22 % higher level of WBCs than those in the worst condition. Nest position affected the proportion of micronuclei (MNs), with inner-nesting penguins having more than three times the proportion of MNs than penguins nesting in peripheral positions. Heterophils:Lymphocytes (H:L) ratio was not affected by any of the above predictors. Multiple factors acting as stressors are expected to increase prominently in Antarctic wildlife in the near future, therefore extensive monitoring aimed to assess the health status of penguin populations is mandatory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Olmastroni
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy.
| | - Silvia Simonetti
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Niccolò Fattorini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Verónica D'Amico
- Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR), (CCT Centro Nacional Patagónico -CONICET), Brown 2915, U9120ACF, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Fanny Cusset
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 du CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France; Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 du CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Yves Cherel
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Ilaria Corsi
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy
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3
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Cebuhar JD, Negrete J, Rodríguez Pirani LS, Picone AL, Proietti M, Romano RM, Della Védova CO, Casaux R, Secchi ER, Botta S. Anthropogenic debris in three sympatric seal species of the Western Antarctic Peninsula. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 922:171273. [PMID: 38408675 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Litter pollution is a growing concern, including for Antarctica and the species that inhabit this ecosystem. In this study, we investigated the microplastic contamination in three seal species that inhabit the Western Antarctic Peninsula: crabeater (Lobodon carcinophaga), leopard (Hydrurga leptonyx) and Weddell (Leptonychotes weddellii) seals. Given the worldwide ubiquity of this type of contaminant, including the Southern Ocean, we hypothesized that the three seal species would present anthropogenic debris in their feces. We examined 29 scat samples of crabeater (n = 5), leopard (n = 13) and Weddell (n = 11) seals. The chemical composition of the items found were identified using micro-Raman and micro-FTIR spectroscopies. All the samples of the three species presented anthropic particles (frequency of occurrence - %FO - 100 %). Fibers were the predominant debris, but fragments and filaments were also present. Particles smaller than 5 mm (micro debris) were predominant in all the samples. Leopard seals ingested significantly larger micro-debris in comparison with the other seal species. The dominant color was black followed by blue and white. Micro-Raman and micro-FTIR Spectroscopies revealed the presence of different anthropogenic pigments such as reactive blue 238, Indigo 3600 and copper phthalocyanine (blue and green). Carbon black was also detected in the samples, as well as plastic polymers such as polystyrene, polyester and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide, polypropylene and polyurethane These results confirm the presence of anthropogenic contamination in Antarctic seals and highlight the need for actions to mitigate the effects and reduce the contribution of debris in the Antarctic ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julieta D Cebuhar
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação da Megafauna Marinha, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG, Av. Itália Km 8 s/n, Rio Grande, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia Biológica, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG, Rio Grande, Brazil.
| | - Javier Negrete
- Laboratório de Predadores Tope, Instituto Antártico Argentino, Av. 25 de Mayo 1147, Villa Lynch, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Calle 64 N° 3, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata 1900, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET), Godoy Cruz, 2290, C1425FQB, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lucas S Rodríguez Pirani
- CEQUINOR (UNLP, CCT-CONICET La Plata, associated with CIC), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Blvd. 120 N° 1465, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - A Lorena Picone
- CEQUINOR (UNLP, CCT-CONICET La Plata, associated with CIC), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Blvd. 120 N° 1465, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Maira Proietti
- Laboratório de Ecologia Molecular Marinha and Projeto Lixo Marinho, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG, Av. Itália Km 8 s/n, Rio Grande, Brasil Rio Grande, Brazil; The Ocean Cleanup, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rosana M Romano
- CEQUINOR (UNLP, CCT-CONICET La Plata, associated with CIC), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Blvd. 120 N° 1465, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Carlos O Della Védova
- CEQUINOR (UNLP, CCT-CONICET La Plata, associated with CIC), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Blvd. 120 N° 1465, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Ricardo Casaux
- Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica (CIEMEP), Roca 780, 9200 Esquel, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Eduardo R Secchi
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação da Megafauna Marinha, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG, Av. Itália Km 8 s/n, Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - Silvina Botta
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação da Megafauna Marinha, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG, Av. Itália Km 8 s/n, Rio Grande, Brazil
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Kut P, Garcia-Pichel F. Nimble vs. torpid responders to hydration pulse duration among soil microbes. Commun Biol 2024; 7:455. [PMID: 38609432 PMCID: PMC11015016 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06141-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Environmental parameters vary in time, and variability is inherent in soils, where microbial activity follows precipitation pulses. The expanded pulse-reserve paradigm (EPRP) contends that arid soil microorganisms have adaptively diversified in response to pulse regimes differing in frequency and duration. To test this, we incubate Chihuahuan Desert soil microbiomes under separate treatments in which 60 h of hydration was reached with pulses of different pulse duration (PD), punctuated by intervening periods of desiccation. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon data, we measure treatment effects on microbiome net growth, growth efficiency, diversity, and species composition, tracking the fate of 370 phylotypes (23% of those detected). Consistent with predictions, microbial diversity is a direct, saturating function of PD. Increasingly larger shifts in community composition are detected with decreasing PD, as specialist phylotypes become more prominent. One in five phylotypes whose fate was tracked responds consistently to PD, some preferring short pulses (nimble responders; NIRs) and some longer pulses (torpid responders; TORs). For pulses shorter than a day, microbiome growth efficiency is an inverse function of PD, as predicted. We conclude that PD in pulsed soil environments constitutes a major driver of microbial community assembly and function, largely consistent with the EPRP predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Kut
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Ferran Garcia-Pichel
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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Méheust Y, Delord K, Bonnet-Lebrun AS, Raclot T, Vasseur J, Allain J, Decourteillle V, Bost CA, Barbraud C. Human infrastructures correspond to higher Adélie penguin breeding success and growth rate. Oecologia 2024; 204:675-688. [PMID: 38459994 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05523-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities generate increasing disturbance in wildlife especially in extreme environments where species have to cope with rapid environmental changes. In Antarctica, while studies on human disturbance have mostly focused on stress response through physiological and behavioral changes, local variability in population dynamics has been addressed more scarcely. In addition, the mechanisms by which breeding communities are affected around research stations remain unclear. Our study aims at pointing out the fine-scale impact of human infrastructures on the spatial variability in Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colonies dynamics. Taking 24 years of population monitoring, we modeled colony breeding success and growth rate in response to both anthropic and land-based environmental variables. Building density around colonies was the second most important variable explaining spatial variability in breeding success after distance from skua nests, the main predators of penguins on land. Building density was positively associated with penguins breeding success. We discuss how buildings may protect penguins from avian predation and environmental conditions. The drivers of colony growth rate included topographical variables and the distance to human infrastructures. A strong correlation between 1-year lagged growth rate and colony breeding success was coherent with the use of public information by penguins to select their initial breeding site. Overall, our study brings new insights about the relative contribution and ecological implications of human presence on the local population dynamics of a sentinel species in Antarctica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Méheust
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France.
| | - Karine Delord
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Bonnet-Lebrun
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Thierry Raclot
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR7178 CNRS, 69037, Strasbourg, France
| | - Julien Vasseur
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Jimmy Allain
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Virgil Decourteillle
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Charles-André Bost
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Christophe Barbraud
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
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Ge M, Liu B, Hu X, Zhang Q, Mou A, Li X, Wang Z, Zhang X, Xu Q. Biomineralization in a cold environment: Insights from shield compositions and transcriptomics of polar sternaspids (Sternaspidae, Polychaeta). COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2024; 49:101187. [PMID: 38183966 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2023.101187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
The survival and physiological functions of polar marine organisms are impacted by global climate changes. Investigation of the adaptation mechanisms underlying biomineralization in polar organisms at low temperatures is important for understanding mineralized organismal sensitivity to climate change. Here, we performed electron probe analysis on the shields of Antarctic polychaete Sternaspis sendalli and Arctic polychaete Sternaspis buzhinskajae (Sternaspidae), and sequenced the transcriptomes of the tissues surrounding shields to examine biomineral characteristics and adaptive mechanisms in persistently cold environments. Compared to the temperate relative species, the relative abundance of iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, sulfur and silicon in two polar sternaspid shields was similar to Sternaspis chinensis. However, the diversity and expression levels of biomineralization-related shell matrix proteins differed between the polar and temperate species, suggesting distinct molecular mechanisms underlying shield formation in cold environments. Tubulin and cyclophilin were upregulated compared to the temperate species. Furthermore, 42 positively selected genes were identified in Antarctic S. sendalli, with functions in cytoskeletal structure, DNA repair, immunity, transcription, translation, protein synthesis, and lipid metabolism. Highly expressed genes in both polar species were associated with cytoskeleton, macromolecular complexes and cellular component biosynthesis. Overall, this study reveals conserved elemental composition yet distinct biomineralization processes in the shields of polar sternaspids. The unique expression of biomineralization related genes and other cold-adaptation related genes provide molecular insights into biomineralization in cold marine environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiling Ge
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
| | - Bing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
| | - Xuying Hu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
| | - Anning Mou
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
| | - Xinlong Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
| | - Zongling Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
| | - Xuelei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
| | - Qinzeng Xu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China.
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Yang L, Yu B, Liu H, Ji X, Xiao C, Cao M, Fu J, Zhang Q, Hu L, Yin Y, Shi J, Jiang G. Foraging behavior and sea ice-dependent factors affecting the bioaccumulation of mercury in Antarctic coastal waters. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169557. [PMID: 38141978 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
To elucidate the potential risks of the toxic pollutant mercury (Hg) in polar waters, the study of accumulated Hg in fish is compelling for understanding the cycling and fate of Hg on a regional scale in Antarctica. Herein, the Hg isotopic compositions of Antarctic cod Notothenia coriiceps were assessed in skeletal muscle, liver, and heart tissues to distinguish the differences in Hg accumulation in isolated coastal environments of the eastern (Chinese Zhongshan Station, ZSS) and the antipode western Antarctica (Chinese Great Wall Station, GWS), which are separated by over 4000 km. Differences in odd mass-independent isotope fractionation (odd-MIF) and mass-dependent fractionation (MDF) across fish tissues were reflection of the specific accumulation of methylmercury (MeHg) and inorganic Hg (iHg) with different isotopic fingerprints. Internal metabolism including hepatic detoxification and processes related to heart may also contribute to MDF. Regional heterogeneity in iHg end-members further provided evidence that bioaccumulated Hg origins can be largely influenced by polar water circumstances and foraging behavior. Sea ice was hypothesized to play critical roles in both the release of Hg with negative odd-MIF derived from photoreduction of Hg2+ on its surface and the impediment of photochemical transformation of Hg in water layers. Overall, the multitissue isotopic compositions in local fish species and prime drivers of the heterogeneous Hg cycling and bioaccumulation patterns presented here enable a comprehensive understanding of Hg biogeochemical cycling in polar coastal waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Yang
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ben Yu
- National Research Center for Environmental Analysis and Measurement, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Hongwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaomeng Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Cailing Xiao
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, School of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Mengxi Cao
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, School of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China
| | - Jianjie Fu
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Qinghua Zhang
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Ligang Hu
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yongguang Yin
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Jianbo Shi
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
| | - Guibin Jiang
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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8
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Varliero G, Lebre PH, Adams B, Chown SL, Convey P, Dennis PG, Fan D, Ferrari B, Frey B, Hogg ID, Hopkins DW, Kong W, Makhalanyane T, Matcher G, Newsham KK, Stevens MI, Weigh KV, Cowan DA. Biogeographic survey of soil bacterial communities across Antarctica. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:9. [PMID: 38212738 PMCID: PMC10785390 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01719-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antarctica and its unique biodiversity are increasingly at risk from the effects of global climate change and other human influences. A significant recent element underpinning strategies for Antarctic conservation has been the development of a system of Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs). The datasets supporting this classification are, however, dominated by eukaryotic taxa, with contributions from the bacterial domain restricted to Actinomycetota and Cyanobacteriota. Nevertheless, the ice-free areas of the Antarctic continent and the sub-Antarctic islands are dominated in terms of diversity by bacteria. Our study aims to generate a comprehensive phylogenetic dataset of Antarctic bacteria with wide geographical coverage on the continent and sub-Antarctic islands, to investigate whether bacterial diversity and distribution is reflected in the current ACBRs. RESULTS Soil bacterial diversity and community composition did not fully conform with the ACBR classification. Although 19% of the variability was explained by this classification, the largest differences in bacterial community composition were between the broader continental and maritime Antarctic regions, where a degree of structural overlapping within continental and maritime bacterial communities was apparent, not fully reflecting the division into separate ACBRs. Strong divergence in soil bacterial community composition was also apparent between the Antarctic/sub-Antarctic islands and the Antarctic mainland. Bacterial communities were partially shaped by bioclimatic conditions, with 28% of dominant genera showing habitat preferences connected to at least one of the bioclimatic variables included in our analyses. These genera were also reported as indicator taxa for the ACBRs. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our data indicate that the current ACBR subdivision of the Antarctic continent does not fully reflect bacterial distribution and diversity in Antarctica. We observed considerable overlap in the structure of soil bacterial communities within the maritime Antarctic region and within the continental Antarctic region. Our results also suggest that bacterial communities might be impacted by regional climatic and other environmental changes. The dataset developed in this study provides a comprehensive baseline that will provide a valuable tool for biodiversity conservation efforts on the continent. Further studies are clearly required, and we emphasize the need for more extensive campaigns to systematically sample and characterize Antarctic and sub-Antarctic soil microbial communities. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilda Varliero
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Pedro H Lebre
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Byron Adams
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
- Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Steven L Chown
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VA, 3800, Australia
| | - Peter Convey
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, South Africa
- Biodiversity of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Ecosystems (BASE), Santiago, Chile
| | - Paul G Dennis
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Dandan Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Belinda Ferrari
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of NSW, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Beat Frey
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Ian D Hogg
- School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
- Canadian High Arctic Research Station, Polar Knowledge Canada, Cambridge Bay, NU, Canada
| | - David W Hopkins
- SRUC - Scotland's Rural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, Scotland, UK
| | - Weidong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Thulani Makhalanyane
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Gwynneth Matcher
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa
| | - Kevin K Newsham
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Mark I Stevens
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, Earth and Biological Sciences, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Katherine V Weigh
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Don A Cowan
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.
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9
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Choquet M, Lenner F, Cocco A, Toullec G, Corre E, Toullec JY, Wallberg A. Comparative Population Transcriptomics Provide New Insight into the Evolutionary History and Adaptive Potential of World Ocean Krill. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad225. [PMID: 37816123 PMCID: PMC10642690 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation is instrumental for adaptation to changing environments but it is unclear how it is structured and contributes to adaptation in pelagic species lacking clear barriers to gene flow. Here, we applied comparative genomics to extensive transcriptome datasets from 20 krill species collected across the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans. We compared genetic variation both within and between species to elucidate their evolutionary history and genomic bases of adaptation. We resolved phylogenetic interrelationships and uncovered genomic evidence to elevate the cryptic Euphausia similis var. armata into species. Levels of genetic variation and rates of adaptive protein evolution vary widely. Species endemic to the cold Southern Ocean, such as the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba, showed less genetic variation and lower evolutionary rates than other species. This could suggest a low adaptive potential to rapid climate change. We uncovered hundreds of candidate genes with signatures of adaptive evolution among Antarctic Euphausia but did not observe strong evidence of adaptive convergence with the predominantly Arctic Thysanoessa. We instead identified candidates for cold-adaptation that have also been detected in Antarctic fish, including genes that govern thermal reception such as TrpA1. Our results suggest parallel genetic responses to similar selection pressures across Antarctic taxa and provide new insights into the adaptive potential of important zooplankton already affected by climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marvin Choquet
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Felix Lenner
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Arianna Cocco
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gaëlle Toullec
- Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Erwan Corre
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, FR 2424, ABiMS Platform, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Roscoff, France
| | - Jean-Yves Toullec
- CNRS, UMR 7144, AD2M, Sorbonne Université, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Roscoff, France
| | - Andreas Wallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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10
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Liao Y, Miao X, Wang R, Zhang R, Li H, Lin L. First pelagic fish biodiversity assessment of Cosmonaut Sea based on environmental DNA. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 192:106225. [PMID: 37866974 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
The Cosmonaut Sea is a typical marginal sea in East Antarctica that has not yet been greatly impacted by climate change. As one of the least explored areas in the Southern Ocean, our knowledge regarding its fish taxonomy and diversity has been sparse. eDNA metabarcoding, as an emerging and promising tool for marine biodiversity research and monitoring, has been widely used across taxa and habitats. During the 38th Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE-38), we collected seawater and surface sediment samples from 38 stations in the Cosmonaut Sea and performed the first, to our knowledge, eDNA analysis of fish biodiversity in the Southern Ocean based on the molecular markers of 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA. There were 48 fish species detected by the two markers in total, with 30 and 34 species detected by the 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA marker, respectively. This was more than the trawling results (19 species) and historical survey records (16 species, "BROKE-West" cruise). With some nonsignificant differences between the Gunnerus Ridge and the Oceanic Area of Enderby Land, the Cosmonaut Sea had a richer fish biodiversity in this research compared with previous studies, and its overall composition and distribution patterns were consistent with what we know in East Antarctica. We also found that the eDNA composition of fish in the Cosmonaut Sea might be related to some environmental factors. Our study demonstrated that the use of the eDNA technique for Antarctic fish biodiversity research is likely to yield more information with less sampling effort than traditional methods. In the context of climate change, the eDNA approach will provide a novel and powerful tool that is complementary to traditional methods for polar ecology research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhuo Liao
- Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity Research, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China; College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
| | - Xing Miao
- Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity Research, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity Research, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Ran Zhang
- Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity Research, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Hai Li
- Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity Research, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China.
| | - Longshan Lin
- Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity Research, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China.
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11
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Ochoa-Sánchez M, Acuña Gomez EP, Ramírez-Fenández L, Eguiarte LE, Souza V. Current knowledge of the Southern Hemisphere marine microbiome in eukaryotic hosts and the Strait of Magellan surface microbiome project. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15978. [PMID: 37810788 PMCID: PMC10557944 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Host-microbe interactions are ubiquitous and play important roles in host biology, ecology, and evolution. Yet, host-microbe research has focused on inland species, whereas marine hosts and their associated microbes remain largely unexplored, especially in developing countries in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we review the current knowledge of marine host microbiomes in the Southern Hemisphere. Our results revealed important biases in marine host species sampling for studies conducted in the Southern Hemisphere, where sponges and marine mammals have received the greatest attention. Sponge-associated microbes vary greatly across geographic regions and species. Nevertheless, besides taxonomic heterogeneity, sponge microbiomes have functional consistency, whereas geography and aging are important drivers of marine mammal microbiomes. Seabird and macroalgal microbiomes in the Southern Hemisphere were also common. Most seabird microbiome has focused on feces, whereas macroalgal microbiome has focused on the epibiotic community. Important drivers of seabird fecal microbiome are aging, sex, and species-specific factors. In contrast, host-derived deterministic factors drive the macroalgal epibiotic microbiome, in a process known as "microbial gardening". In turn, marine invertebrates (especially crustaceans) and fish microbiomes have received less attention in the Southern Hemisphere. In general, the predominant approach to study host marine microbiomes has been the sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Interestingly, there are some marine holobiont studies (i.e., studies that simultaneously analyze host (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics) and microbiome (e.g., 16S rRNA gene, metagenome) traits), but only in some marine invertebrates and macroalgae from Africa and Australia. Finally, we introduce an ongoing project on the surface microbiome of key species in the Strait of Magellan. This is an international project that will provide novel microbiome information of several species in the Strait of Magellan. In the short-term, the project will improve our knowledge about microbial diversity in the region, while long-term potential benefits include the use of these data to assess host-microbial responses to the Anthropocene derived climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Ochoa-Sánchez
- Centro de Estudios del Cuaternario de Fuego, Patagonia y Antártica (CEQUA), Punta Arenas, Chile
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | | | - Lia Ramírez-Fenández
- Facultad de Recursos Naturales Renovables, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique, Chile
- Centro de Desarrollo de Biotecnología Industrial y Bioproductos, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Luis E. Eguiarte
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Valeria Souza
- Centro de Estudios del Cuaternario de Fuego, Patagonia y Antártica (CEQUA), Punta Arenas, Chile
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
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12
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Cowan DA, Cary SC, DiRuggiero J, Eckardt F, Ferrari B, Hopkins DW, Lebre PH, Maggs-Kölling G, Pointing SB, Ramond JB, Tribbia D, Warren-Rhodes K. 'Follow the Water': Microbial Water Acquisition in Desert Soils. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1670. [PMID: 37512843 PMCID: PMC10386458 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Water availability is the dominant driver of microbial community structure and function in desert soils. However, these habitats typically only receive very infrequent large-scale water inputs (e.g., from precipitation and/or run-off). In light of recent studies, the paradigm that desert soil microorganisms are largely dormant under xeric conditions is questionable. Gene expression profiling of microbial communities in desert soils suggests that many microbial taxa retain some metabolic functionality, even under severely xeric conditions. It, therefore, follows that other, less obvious sources of water may sustain the microbial cellular and community functionality in desert soil niches. Such sources include a range of precipitation and condensation processes, including rainfall, snow, dew, fog, and nocturnal distillation, all of which may vary quantitatively depending on the location and geomorphological characteristics of the desert ecosystem. Other more obscure sources of bioavailable water may include groundwater-derived water vapour, hydrated minerals, and metabolic hydro-genesis. Here, we explore the possible sources of bioavailable water in the context of microbial survival and function in xeric desert soils. With global climate change projected to have profound effects on both hot and cold deserts, we also explore the potential impacts of climate-induced changes in water availability on soil microbiomes in these extreme environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - S Craig Cary
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3216, New Zealand
| | - Jocelyne DiRuggiero
- Departments of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Departments of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Frank Eckardt
- Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Belinda Ferrari
- School of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - David W Hopkins
- Scotland's Rural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
| | - Pedro H Lebre
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | | | - Stephen B Pointing
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore
| | - Jean-Baptiste Ramond
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
- Departamento Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
| | - Dana Tribbia
- School of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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13
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Ramasamy KP, Mahawar L, Rajasabapathy R, Rajeshwari K, Miceli C, Pucciarelli S. Comprehensive insights on environmental adaptation strategies in Antarctic bacteria and biotechnological applications of cold adapted molecules. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1197797. [PMID: 37396361 PMCID: PMC10312091 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1197797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change and the induced environmental disturbances is one of the major threats that have a strong impact on bacterial communities in the Antarctic environment. To cope with the persistent extreme environment and inhospitable conditions, psychrophilic bacteria are thriving and displaying striking adaptive characteristics towards severe external factors including freezing temperature, sea ice, high radiation and salinity which indicates their potential in regulating climate change's environmental impacts. The review illustrates the different adaptation strategies of Antarctic microbes to changing climate factors at the structural, physiological and molecular level. Moreover, we discuss the recent developments in "omics" approaches to reveal polar "blackbox" of psychrophiles in order to gain a comprehensive picture of bacterial communities. The psychrophilic bacteria synthesize distinctive cold-adapted enzymes and molecules that have many more industrial applications than mesophilic ones in biotechnological industries. Hence, the review also emphasizes on the biotechnological potential of psychrophilic enzymes in different sectors and suggests the machine learning approach to study cold-adapted bacteria and engineering the industrially important enzymes for sustainable bioeconomy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lovely Mahawar
- Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Raju Rajasabapathy
- Department of Marine Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu, India
| | | | - Cristina Miceli
- School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Sandra Pucciarelli
- School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
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14
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Gao Y, Yang L, Liu H, Xie Z. Positive Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation has driven poleward redistribution of the West Antarctic Peninsula biota through a food-chain mechanism. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 881:163373. [PMID: 37044333 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) has recorded a significant poleward range shift in marine biota, including Adélie penguins, Antarctic krill and phytoplankton. The ecological changes have been widely attributed to Pacific/Southern Hemisphere variabilities. However, the teleconnection from the North Atlantic Ocean, which also could induce changes in the WAP physical environments, has been overlooked. Here we combine state-of-the-art observational/modelling databases to quantify the poleward redistribution since the 1980s of three key members of the WAP biota and explored their response to several climatic oscillations. The abundance of Adélie penguins, Antarctic krill and phytoplankton in the WAP all show a decrease in the north and an increase in the south, leading to a poleward shift of their distribution centers by ~0.8-2.3°. A more positive Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) has contributed to the poleward redistribution of phytoplankton/krill/penguin with a time lag of 0/1/5 yr, indicating a food-chain related mechanism. +AMO in spring resulted in reduced sea ice, earlier ice retreat and enhanced winds in the northern WAP, which constrained phytoplankton blooms and krill reproduction, thereby decreasing the krill recruitment 1 yr later and consequently the penguin recruitment 5 yr later. In the southern WAP, where the sea ice cover was nearly permanent in the 1980s, reduced sea ice and earlier ice retreat promoted phytoplankton growth and krill/penguin reproduction. Our results emphasize the global nature of climate-ecological coupling; the influence of the Northern Hemisphere climate system on Antarctic/Southern Ocean biota is a non-negligible factor for the ecosystem management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuesong Gao
- Institute of Polar Environment, Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Lianjiao Yang
- Institute of Polar Environment, Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Hongwei Liu
- Institute of Polar Environment, Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Zhouqing Xie
- Institute of Polar Environment, Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China.
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15
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Rotella JJ. Patterns, sources, and consequences of variation in age-specific vital rates: Insights from a long-term study of Weddell seals. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:552-567. [PMID: 36495476 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Variations in the reproductive and survival abilities of individuals within a population are ubiquitous in nature, key to individual fitness, and affect population dynamics, which leads to strong interest in understanding causes and consequences of vital-rate variation. For long-lived species, long-term studies of large samples of known-age individuals are ideal for evaluating vital-rate variation. A population of Weddell seals in Erebus Bay, Antarctica, has been studied each Austral spring since the 1960s. Since 1982, all newborns have been tagged each year and multiple capture-mark-recapture (CMR) surveys have been conducted annually. Over the past 20 years, a series of analyses have built on results of earlier research by taking advantage of steady improvements in the project's long-term CMR data and available analytical methods. Here, I summarize progress made on four major topics related to variation in age-specific vital rates for females: early-life survival and age at first reproduction, costs of reproduction, demographic buffering, and demographic senescence. Multistate modelling found that age at first reproduction varies widely (4-14 years of age) and identified contrasting influences of maternal age on survival and recruitment rates of offspring. Subsequent analyses of data for females after recruitment revealed costs of reproduction to both survival and future reproduction and provided strong evidence of demographic buffering. Recent results indicated that important levels of among-individual variation exist in vital rates and revealed contrasting patterns for senescence in reproduction and survival. Sources of variation in vital rates include age, reproductive state, year, and individual. The combination of luck and individual quality results in strong variation in individual fitness outcomes: ~80% of females born in the population produce no offspring, and the remaining 20% vary strongly in lifetime reproductive output (range: 1-23 pups). Further research is needed to identify the specific environmental conditions that lead to annual variation in vital rates and to better understand the origins of individual heterogeneity. Work is also needed to better quantify the relative roles of luck, maternal effects, and environmental conditions on variation in vital rates and to learn the importance of such variation to demographic performance of offspring and on overall population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay J Rotella
- Ecology Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
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16
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Prado T, Brandão ML, Fumian TM, Freitas L, Chame M, Leomil L, Magalhães MGP, Degrave WMS, Leite JPG, Miagostovich MP. Virome analysis in lakes of the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica - 2020. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 852:158537. [PMID: 36075413 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Polar freshwater ecosystems are characterized by a distinct microbiota. However, little is known about viral diversity and abundance, especially regarding the ecology of RNA viruses. We used shotgun metagenomic analysis on samples from Antarctic ecosystems, and report here the characterization of the virome fraction, from different lakes located in the South Shetland Islands (Penguin, Ardley, Deception and King George Island) in the Peninsula Antarctica, in the summer season 2020. DNA viruses (99.4 %) prevailed over RNA viruses (0.6 %) in the lake samples. Six viral orders were identified in the metagenomic libraries: Caudovirales (dsDNA), which was prevalent in most lakes; Picornavirales (ssRNA+); Sobelivirales (ssRNA+); Tolivirales (ssRNA+); Petitvirales (ssDNA) and Baphyvirales (ssDNA), including eight viral families (Herelleviridae, Siphoviridae, Myoviridae, Microviridae, Marnaviridae, Bacilladnaviridae, Barnaviridae and Tombusviridae) and several other, mainly non-classified ssRNA(+) viruses in the lakes of Ardley Island. Bacteriophages (dsDNA) (Herelleviridae family) infecting the phylum Firmicutes and Siphoviridae were predominant in most lakes evaluated. Functional analysis demonstrated a prevalence of unknown proteins (68 %) in the virome. Our prospective study provides virome analysis data from different lakes in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, opening exploratory lines for future research related to the biodiversity and viral ecology in this extreme ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Prado
- Laboratory of Comparative and Environmental Virology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Av. Brasil, 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21040-360, Brazil.
| | - Martha Lima Brandão
- FioAntar Project/ VPPIS - Fiocruz, Av Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Tulio Machado Fumian
- Laboratory of Comparative and Environmental Virology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Av. Brasil, 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Lucas Freitas
- Laboratory of Respiratory Virus and Measles, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Av. Brasil, 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro CEP 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Marcia Chame
- Institutional Platform for Biodiversity and Wildlife Health, Av Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Luciana Leomil
- SENAI Innovation Institute for Biosynthetics and Fibers, Technology Center for Chemical and Textile Industry, 4° Andar: Biotecnologia, Rua Fernando de Souza Barros, 120, Parque Tecnológico da UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro CEP 21941-857, Brazil
| | - Maithê Gaspar Pontes Magalhães
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Av. Brasil, 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Wim Maurits Sylvain Degrave
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Av. Brasil, 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-360, Brazil
| | - José Paulo Gagliardi Leite
- Laboratory of Comparative and Environmental Virology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Av. Brasil, 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Marize Pereira Miagostovich
- Laboratory of Comparative and Environmental Virology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Av. Brasil, 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21040-360, Brazil
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17
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Leistenschneider C, Le Bohec C, Eisen O, Houstin A, Neff S, Primpke S, Zitterbart DP, Burkhardt-Holm P, Gerdts G. No evidence of microplastic ingestion in emperor penguin chicks (Aptenodytes forsteri) from the Atka Bay colony (Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158314. [PMID: 36041615 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microplastic (<5 mm; MP) pollution has been an emerging threat for marine ecosystems around the globe with increasing evidence that even the world's most remote areas, including Antarctica, are no longer unaffected. Few studies however, have examined MP in Antarctic biota, and especially those from Antarctic regions with low human activity, meaning little is known about the extent to which biota are affected. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the occurrence of MP in the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri), the only penguin species breeding around Antarctica during the austral winter, and an endemic apex predator in the Southern Ocean. To assess MP ingestion, the gizzards of 41 emperor penguin chicks from Atka Bay colony (Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica), were dissected and analyzed for MP >500 μm using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. A total of 85 putative particles, mostly in the shape of fibers (65.9 %), were sorted. However, none of the particles were identified as MP applying state-of-the-art methodology. Sorted fibers were further evidenced to originate from contamination during sample processing and analyses. We find that MP concentrations in the local food web of the Weddell Sea and Dronning Maud Land coastal and marginal sea-ice regions; the feeding grounds to chick-rearing emperor penguin adults, are currently at such low levels that no detectable biomagnification is occurring via trophic transfer. Being in contrast to MP studies on other Antarctic and sub-Antarctic penguin species, our comparative discussion including these studies, highlights the importance for standardized procedures for sampling, sample processing and analyses to obtain comparable results. We further discuss other stomach contents and their potential role for MP detection, as well as providing a baseline for the long-term monitoring of MP in apex predator species from this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Leistenschneider
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Man-Society-Environment Program, University of Basel, Vesalgasse 1, 4051 Basel, Switzerland; Department of Microbial Ecology, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Kurpromenade, 27498 Helgoland, Germany.
| | - Céline Le Bohec
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, IPHC UMR, 7178 Strasbourg, France; Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Département de Biologie Polaire, Monaco City, Monaco
| | - Olaf Eisen
- Glaciology, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Aymeric Houstin
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, IPHC UMR, 7178 Strasbourg, France; Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Département de Biologie Polaire, Monaco City, Monaco
| | - Simon Neff
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Sebastian Primpke
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Kurpromenade, 27498 Helgoland, Germany
| | - Daniel P Zitterbart
- Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA; Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Patricia Burkhardt-Holm
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Man-Society-Environment Program, University of Basel, Vesalgasse 1, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gunnar Gerdts
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Kurpromenade, 27498 Helgoland, Germany
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Perfetti-Bolaño A, Muñoz K, Kolok AS, Araneda A, Barra RO. Analysis of the contribution of locally derived wastewater to the occurrence of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Antarctic coastal waters. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158116. [PMID: 35988631 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) are emerging pollutants detected in many locations of the world including Antarctica. The main objective of this review is to discuss the influence of the human population on the concentration, distribution and biological effects of PPCPs across the Antarctic coastal marine ecosystem. We carried out a review of the scientific articles published for PPCPs in Antarctic, supported by the information of the Antarctic stations reported by Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (CONMAP), Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty (ATS). In addition, spatial data regarding the Antarctic continent was obtained from Quantarctica. Antarctic concentrations of PPCPs were more reflective of the treatment system used by research stations as opposed to the infrastructure built or the annual occupancy by station. The main problem is that most of the research stations lack tertiary treatment, resulting in elevated concentrations of PPCPs in effluents. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of Antarctic field stations in coastal areas allows for the release of PPCPs, directly into the sea, a practice that remains in compliance with the current Protocol. After their release, PPCPs can become incorporated into sea ice, which can then act as a chemical reservoir. In addition, there is no clarity on the effects on the local biota. Finally, we recommend regulating the entry and use of PPCPs in Antarctica given the difficulties of operating, and in some cases the complete absence of appropriate treatment systems. Further studies are needed on the fate, transport and biological effects of PPCPs on the Antarctic biota. It is recommended that research efforts be carried out in areas inhabited by humans to generate mitigation measures relative to potential adverse impacts. Tourism should be also considered in further studies due the temporal release of PPCPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Perfetti-Bolaño
- Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Centro EULA-Chile, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile.
| | - Katherine Muñoz
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau 76829, Germany
| | - Alan S Kolok
- Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3002, Moscow, ID 83843, USA
| | - Alberto Araneda
- Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Centro EULA-Chile, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile
| | - Ricardo O Barra
- Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Centro EULA-Chile, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile; Instituto Milenio en Socio Ecología-Costera (SECOS), Santiago, Chile
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19
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Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11121705. [PMID: 36552215 PMCID: PMC9774262 DOI: 10.3390/biology11121705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Ice shelves cover ~1.6 million km2 of the Antarctic continental shelf and are sensitive indicators of climate change. With ice-shelf retreat, aphotic marine environments transform into new open-water spaces of photo-induced primary production and associated organic matter export to the benthos. Predicting how Antarctic seafloor assemblages may develop following ice-shelf loss requires knowledge of assemblages bordering the ice-shelf margins, which are relatively undocumented. This study investigated seafloor assemblages, by taxa and functional groups, in a coastal polynya adjacent to the Larsen C Ice Shelf front, western Weddell Sea. The study area is rarely accessed, at the frontline of climate change, and located within a CCAMLR-proposed international marine protected area. Four sites, ~1 to 16 km from the ice-shelf front, were explored for megabenthic assemblages, and potential environmental drivers of assemblage structures were assessed. Faunal density increased with distance from the ice shelf, with epifaunal deposit-feeders a surrogate for overall density trends. Faunal richness did not exhibit a significant pattern with distance from the ice shelf and was most variable at sites closest to the ice-shelf front. Faunal assemblages significantly differed in composition among sites, and those nearest to the ice shelf were the most dissimilar; however, ice-shelf proximity did not emerge as a significant driver of assemblage structure. Overall, the study found a biologically-diverse and complex seafloor environment close to an ice-shelf front and provides ecological baselines for monitoring benthic ecosystem responses to environmental change, supporting marine management.
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20
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Beet CR, Hogg ID, Cary SC, McDonald IR, Sinclair BJ. The Resilience of Polar Collembola (Springtails) in a Changing Climate. CURRENT RESEARCH IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 2:100046. [PMID: 36683955 PMCID: PMC9846479 DOI: 10.1016/j.cris.2022.100046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Assessing the resilience of polar biota to climate change is essential for predicting the effects of changing environmental conditions for ecosystems. Collembola are abundant in terrestrial polar ecosystems and are integral to food-webs and soil nutrient cycling. Using available literature, we consider resistance (genetic diversity; behavioural avoidance and physiological tolerances; biotic interactions) and recovery potential for polar Collembola. Polar Collembola have high levels of genetic diversity, considerable capacity for behavioural avoidance, wide thermal tolerance ranges, physiological plasticity, generalist-opportunistic feeding habits and broad ecological niches. The biggest threats to the ongoing resistance of polar Collembola are increasing levels of dispersal (gene flow), increased mean and extreme temperatures, drought, changing biotic interactions, and the arrival and spread of invasive species. If resistance capacities are insufficient, numerous studies have highlighted that while some species can recover from disturbances quickly, complete community-level recovery is exceedingly slow. Species dwelling deeper in the soil profile may be less able to resist climate change and may not recover in ecologically realistic timescales given the current rate of climate change. Ultimately, diverse communities are more likely to have species or populations that are able to resist or recover from disturbances. While much of the Arctic has comparatively high levels of diversity and phenotypic plasticity; areas of Antarctica have extremely low levels of diversity and are potentially much more vulnerable to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare R. Beet
- Te Aka Mātuatua - School of Science, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato - University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
- International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Ian D. Hogg
- Te Aka Mātuatua - School of Science, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato - University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
- Canadian High Arctic Research Station, Polar Knowledge Canada, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada
| | - S. Craig Cary
- Te Aka Mātuatua - School of Science, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato - University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
- International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Ian R. McDonald
- Te Aka Mātuatua - School of Science, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato - University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
- International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Brent J. Sinclair
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
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21
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Krill finder: spatial distribution of sympatric fin (Balaenoptera physalus) and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales in the Southern Ocean. Polar Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-022-03080-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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22
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Desvignes T, Lauridsen H, Valdivieso A, Fontenele RS, Kraberger S, Murray KN, Le François NR, Detrich HW, Kent ML, Varsani A, Postlethwait JH. A parasite outbreak in notothenioid fish in an Antarctic fjord. iScience 2022; 25:104588. [PMID: 35800770 PMCID: PMC9253362 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate changes can promote disease outbreaks, but their nature and potential impacts in remote areas have received little attention. In a hot spot of biodiversity on the West Antarctic Peninsula, which faces among the fastest changing climates on Earth, we captured specimens of two notothenioid fish species affected by large skin tumors at an incidence never before observed in the Southern Ocean. Molecular and histopathological analyses revealed that X-cell parasitic alveolates, members of a genus we call Notoxcellia, are the etiological agent of these tumors. Parasite-specific molecular probes showed that xenomas remained within the skin but largely outgrew host cells in the dermis. We further observed that tumors induced neovascularization in underlying tissue and detrimentally affected host growth and condition. Although many knowledge gaps persist about X-cell disease, including its mode of transmission and life cycle, these findings reveal potentially active biotic threats to vulnerable Antarctic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Desvignes
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Henrik Lauridsen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University; Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Valdivieso
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Barcelona Spain
| | - Rafaela S Fontenele
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Center for Evolution and Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Simona Kraberger
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Center for Evolution and Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Katrina N Murray
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Nathalie R Le François
- Laboratoire Physiologie, Aquaculture et Conservation, Biodôme de Montréal/Espace pour la vie, 4777 Avenue Pierre-De Coubertin, Montreal, QC H1V 1B3, Canada
| | - H William Detrich
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University Marine Science Center, 430 Nahant Rd, Nahant, MA 01908, USA
| | - Michael L Kent
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Arvind Varsani
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Center for Evolution and Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
- Structural Biology Research Unit, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Town, 7925 Cape Town, South Africa
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23
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Matias RS, Guímaro HR, Bustamante P, Seco J, Chipev N, Fragão J, Tavares S, Ceia FR, Pereira ME, Barbosa A, Xavier JC. Mercury biomagnification in an Antarctic food web of the Antarctic Peninsula. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 304:119199. [PMID: 35337890 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Under the climate change context, warming Southern Ocean waters may allow mercury (Hg) to become more bioavailable to the Antarctic marine food web (i.e., ice-stored Hg release and higher methylation rates by microorganisms), whose biomagnification processes are poorly documented. Biomagnification of Hg in the food web of the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the world's fastest-warming regions, was examined using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios for estimating feeding habitat and trophic levels, respectively. The stable isotope signatures and total Hg (T-Hg) concentrations were measured in Antarctic krill Euphausia superba and several Antarctic predator species, including seabirds (gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua, chinstrap penguins Pygoscelis antarcticus, brown skuas Stercorarius antarcticus, kelp gulls Larus dominicanus, southern giant petrels Macronectes giganteus) and marine mammals (southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina). Significant differences in δ13C values among species were noted with a great overlap between seabird species and M. leonina. As expected, significant differences in δ15N values among species were found due to interspecific variations in diet-related to their trophic position within the marine food web. The lowest Hg concentrations were registered in E. superba (0.007 ± 0.008 μg g-1) and the highest values in M. giganteus (12.090 ± 14.177 μg g-1). Additionally, a significant positive relationship was found between Hg concentrations and trophic levels (reflected by δ15N values), biomagnifying nearly 2 times its concentrations at each level. Our results support that trophic interaction is the major pathway for Hg biomagnification in Southern Ocean ecosystems and warn about an increase in the effects of Hg on long-lived (and high trophic level) Antarctic predators under climate change in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo S Matias
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Hugo R Guímaro
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 1 rue Descartes, 75005, Paris, France
| | - José Seco
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal; Department of Chemistry and CESAM/REQUIMTE, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal; School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, Scotland, United Kingdom; CIVG - Vasco da Gama Research Center, University School Vasco da Gama - EUVG, Coimbra, 3020-210, Portugal
| | - Nesho Chipev
- Central Laboratory of General Ecology, Bulgarian Academy of Science, 2 Yurii Gagarin Street, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Joana Fragão
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sílvia Tavares
- CFE (Centre for Functional Ecology), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, PO Box 3046, 3001-401, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Filipe R Ceia
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Maria E Pereira
- Department of Chemistry and CESAM/REQUIMTE, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Andrés Barbosa
- Departamento de Ecologia Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - José C Xavier
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal; British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, United Kingdom
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24
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Spatial patterns and behaviour of notothenioid fishes off the northern Antarctic Peninsula. Polar Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-022-03047-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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25
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Understanding the biology of polar regions is more important than ever: Introducing associate editors to strengthen polar biology. Polar Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-022-03026-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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26
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Cannone N, Malfasi F, Favero-Longo SE, Convey P, Guglielmin M. Acceleration of climate warming and plant dynamics in Antarctica. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1599-1606.e2. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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27
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Stoyancheva G, Dishliyska V, Miteva‐Staleva J, Kostadinova N, Abrashev R, Angelova M, Krumova E. Sequencing and gene expression analysis of catalase genes in Antarctic fungal strain Penicillium griseofulvum P29. Polar Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-03001-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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28
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Wege M, Salas L, LaRue M. Ice matters: Life-history strategies of two Antarctic seals dictate climate change eventualities in the Weddell Sea. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:6252-6262. [PMID: 34491603 PMCID: PMC9293148 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The impacts of climate change in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are not uniform and ice-obligate species with dissimilar life-history characteristics will likely respond differently to their changing ecosystems. We use a unique data set of Weddell Leptonychotes weddellii and crabeater seals' (CESs) Lobodon carcinophaga breeding season distribution in the Weddell Sea, determined from satellite imagery. We contrast the theoretical climate impacts on both ice-obligate predators who differ in life-history characteristics: CESs are highly specialized Antarctic krill Euphausia superba predators and breed in the seasonal pack ice; Weddell seals (WESs) are generalist predators and breed on comparatively stable fast ice. We used presence-absence data and a suite of remotely sensed environmental variables to build habitat models. Each of the environmental predictors is multiplied by a 'climate change score' based on known responses to climate change to create a 'change importance product'. Results show CESs are more sensitive to climate change than WESs. Crabeater seals prefer to breed close to krill, and the compounding effects of changing sea ice concentrations and sea surface temperatures, the proximity to krill and abundance of stable breeding ice, can influence their post-breeding foraging success and ultimately their future breeding success. But in contrast to the Ross Sea, here WESs prefer to breed closer to larger colonies of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri). This suggests that the Weddell Sea may currently be prey-abundant, allowing the only two air-breathing Antarctic silverfish predators (Pleuragramma antarctica) (WESs and emperor penguins) to breed closer to each other. This is the first basin-scale, region-specific comparison of breeding season habitat in these two key Antarctic predators based on real-world data to compare climate change responses. This work shows that broad-brush, basin-scale approaches to understanding species-specific responses to climate change are not always appropriate, and regional models are needed-especially when designing marine protected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia Wege
- Gateway AntarcticaSchool of Earth and EnvironmentUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
- Department of Zoology & EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaHatfieldPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Leo Salas
- Point Blue Conservation SciencesPetalumaCAUSA
| | - Michelle LaRue
- Gateway AntarcticaSchool of Earth and EnvironmentUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
- Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMNUSA
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29
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Bergstrom DM. Maintaining Antarctica's isolation from non-native species. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 37:5-9. [PMID: 34809999 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Antarctica's isolation has been breached by various non-native species, including microbes, a grass, and some invertebrates. As yet, no marine species have reportedly established populations. With increasing effects of climate change and human activity, continued concerted action is needed to keep Antarctica protected from the impacts of non-native species establishment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana M Bergstrom
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Kingston, TAS, 7050, Australia; Global Challenges Program, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
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30
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Dziuba O, Liubinska A, Khoyetskyy P, Bedernichek T. Allelopathic potential and cytostatic activity of Antarctic moss Sanionia georgicouncinata (Amblystegiaceae). BIOSYSTEMS DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.15421/012133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
From the first half of the XX century, the maritime Antarctic was a region with high regional warming rates. At the beginning of the XXI century, regional warming strongly slowed down, but during the next twenty years the near-surface temperatures and mean annual precipitation at the Antarctic Peninsula will most probably increase. Higher temperatures and precipitation make the conditions in the maritime Antarctic more favourable for plants, including invasive species. Moreover, the increasing number of Antarctic tourists unintentionally transport thousands of seeds to the Antarctic on their clothes and equipment. In such circumstances, it is important to evaluate possible defensive mechanisms of native plant species, including their allelopathic potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the allelopathic potential and cytostatic activity of Sanionia georgicouncinata. This species is widespread in the maritime Antarctic and is one of the most abundant moss species on the Argentine Islands (Wilhelm Archipelago). Seeds of cucumber Cucumis sativus, radish Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, wheat Triticum vulgare, and amaranth Amaranthus paniculatus were used as bioassay species. Fresh green biomass of S. georgicouncinata was used to prepare aqueous extracts with 1 : 10, 1 : 50, and 1 : 100 plant to water ratios. The average root length of wheat sprouts and cucumber sprouts in distilled water did not differ significantly from those in plant extracts. The root length of radish sprouts in 1 : 50 plant extract was significantly shorter than in distilled water. Meanwhile, in 1 : 50 and 1 : 100 water extracts, roots of amaranth plants were significantly longer than in water. The number of lateral roots of cucumber sprouts in water and studied aqueous extracts varied from 1 to 6 with medians from 3 to 4. The medians of control (distilled water) and sample groups (aqueous extracts) did not differ significantly, but only 38.1 ± 6.1% of cucumber sprouts developed lateral roots in the 1 : 10 aqueous extract of S. georgicouncinata, and even less – 28.3 ± 7.5% in the 1 : 50 aqueous extract. The results of this study show that the allelopathic potential of S. georgicouncinata is low. However, a significant cytostatic activity of the studied extracts shows that this species may still affect other plants and animals. Further research is needed to evaluate the impact of the studied extracts on root growth and germination of the invasive plants, particularly Poa annua.
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31
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Zwerschke N, Morley SA, Peck LS, Barnes DKA. Can Antarctica's shallow zoobenthos 'bounce back' from iceberg scouring impacts driven by climate change? GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:3157-3165. [PMID: 33861505 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
All coastal systems experience disturbances and many across the planet are under unprecedented threat from an intensification of a variety of stressors. The West Antarctic Peninsula is a hotspot of physical climate change and has experienced a dramatic loss of sea-ice and glaciers in recent years. Among other things, sea-ice immobilizes icebergs, reducing collisions between icebergs and the seabed, thus decreasing ice-scouring. Ice disturbance drives patchiness in successional stages across seabed assemblages in Antarctica's shallows, making this an ideal system to understand the ecosystem resilience to increasing disturbance with climate change. We monitored a shallow benthic ecosystem before, during and after a 3-year pulse of catastrophic ice-scouring events and show that such systems can return, or bounce back, to previous states within 10 years. Our long-term data series show that recovery can happen more rapidly than expected, when disturbances abate, even in highly sensitive cold, polar environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadescha Zwerschke
- British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Aberdeen, UK
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