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Melting glacier impacts community structure of B acteria, A rchaea and F ungi in a C hilean P atagonia fjord
Author(s) -
Gutiérrez Marcelo H.,
Galand Pierre E.,
Moffat Carlos,
Pantoja Silvio
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/1462-2920.12872
Subject(s) - meltwater , fjord , psychrophile , glacier , iceberg , biology , community structure , oceanography , ecology , sea ice , bacteria , geology , paleontology , genetics
Summary J orge M ontt glacier, located in the P atagonian I ce F ields, has undergone an unprecedented retreat during the past century. To study the impact of the meltwater discharge on the microbial community of the downstream fjord, we targeted B acteria, A rchaea and F ungi communities during austral autumn and winter. Our results showed a singular microbial community present in cold and low salinity surface waters during autumn, when a thicker meltwater layer was observed. Meltwater bacterial sequences were related to C yanobacteria , P roteobacteria , A ctinobacteria and B acteriodetes previously identified in freshwater and cold ecosystems, suggesting the occurrence of microorganisms adapted to live in the extreme conditions of meltwater. For Fungi, representative sequences related to terrestrial and airborne fungal taxa indicated transport of allochthonous F ungi by the meltwater discharge. In contrast, bottom fjord waters from autumn and winter showed representative Operational Taxonomic Units ( OTUs ) related to sequences of marine microorganisms, which is consistent with current models of fjord circulation. We conclude that meltwater can significantly modify the structure of microbial communities and support the development of a major fraction of microorganisms in surface waters of P atagonian fjords.