| Title |
Prokaryotic Abundance and Activity in Permafrost of the Northern Victoria Land and Upper Victoria Valley (Antarctica)
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Microbial Ecology, March 2017
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00248-017-0955-5 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Rosabruna La Ferla, Maurizio Azzaro, Luigi Michaud, Gabriella Caruso, Angelina Lo Giudice, Rodolfo Paranhos, Anderson S Cabral, Antonella Conte, Alessandro Cosenza, Giovanna Maimone, Maria Papale, Alessandro Ciro Rappazzo, Mauro Guglielmin |
| Abstract |
Victoria Land permafrost harbours a potentially large pool of cold-affected microorganisms whose metabolic potential still remains underestimated. Three cores (BC-1, BC-2 and BC-3) drilled at different depths in Boulder Clay (Northern Victoria Land) and one sample (DY) collected from a core in the Dry Valleys (Upper Victoria Valley) were analysed to assess the prokaryotic abundance, viability, physiological profiles and potential metabolic rates. The cores drilled at Boulder Clay were a template of different ecological conditions (different temperature regime, ice content, exchanges with atmosphere and with liquid water) in the same small basin while the Dry Valleys site was very similar to BC-2 conditions but with a complete different geological history and ground ice type. Image analysis was adopted to determine cell abundance, size and shape as well as to quantify the potential viable and respiring cells by live/dead and 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl-tetrazolium chloride staining, respectively. Subpopulation recognition by apparent nucleic acid contents was obtained by flow cytometry. Moreover, the physiological profiles at community level by Biolog-Ecoplate™ as well as the ectoenzymatic potential rates on proteinaceous (leucine-aminopeptidase) and glucidic (ß-glucosidase) organic matter and on organic phosphates (alkaline-phosphatase) by fluorogenic substrates were tested. The adopted methodological approach gave useful information regarding viability and metabolic performances of microbial community in permafrost. The occurrence of a multifaceted prokaryotic community in the Victoria Land permafrost and a large number of potentially viable and respiring cells (in the order of 10(4)-10(5)) were recognised. Subpopulations with a different apparent DNA content within the different samples were observed. The physiological profiles stressed various potential metabolic pathways among the samples and intense utilisation rates of polymeric carbon compounds and carbohydrates, mainly in deep samples. The measured enzymatic activity rates suggested the potential capability of the microbial community to decompose proteins and polysaccharides. The microbial community seems to be appropriate to contribute to biogeochemical cycling in this extreme environment. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 38 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 38 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 9 | 24% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 18% |
| Student > Master | 5 | 13% |
| Student > Bachelor | 4 | 11% |
| Professor | 3 | 8% |
| Other | 6 | 16% |
| Unknown | 4 | 11% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 12 | 32% |
| Environmental Science | 6 | 16% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 6 | 16% |
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 3 | 8% |
| Immunology and Microbiology | 1 | 3% |
| Other | 4 | 11% |
| Unknown | 6 | 16% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 6. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 18 March 2017.
All research outputs
#5,791,443
of 22,959,818 outputs
Outputs from Microbial Ecology
#603
of 2,063 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#93,213
of 308,539 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Microbial Ecology
#12
of 40 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,959,818 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 74th percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,063 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.4. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 69% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 40 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 62% of its contemporaries.