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Subglacial Lake Whillans microbial biogeochemistry: a synthesis of current knowledge
- Source :
- Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences, vol 374, iss 2059, Mikucki, J A, Lee, P A, Ghosh, D, Purcell, A M, Mitchell, A C, Mankoff, K D, Fisher, A T, Tulaczyk, S, Carter, S, Siegfried, M R, Fricker, H A, Hodson, T, Coenen, M J H, Powell, R, Scherer, R, Vick-Majors, T, Achberger, A A, Christner, B C & Tranter, M 2016, ' Subglacial LakeWhillans microbial biogeochemistry : A synthesis of current knowledge ', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, vol. 374, no. 2059 . https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0290, Mikucki, JA; Lee, PA; Ghosh, D; Purcell, AM; Mitchell, AC; Mankoff, KD; et al.(2016). Subglacial Lake Whillans microbial biogeochemistry: a synthesis of current knowledge. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES, 374(2059). doi: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0290. UC Santa Cruz: Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/0nf2p82s
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- eScholarship, University of California, 2016.
-
Abstract
- Liquid water occurs below glaciers and ice sheets globally, enabling the existence of an array of aquatic microbial ecosystems. In Antarctica, large subglacial lakes are present beneath hundreds to thousands of metres of ice, and scientific interest in exploring these environments has escalated over the past decade. After years of planning, the first team of scientists and engineers cleanly accessed and retrieved pristine samples from a West Antarctic subglacial lake ecosystem in January 2013. This paper reviews the findings to date on Subglacial Lake Whillans and presents new supporting data on the carbon and energy metabolism of resident microbes. The analysis of water and sediments from the lake revealed a diverse microbial community composed of bacteria and archaea that are close relatives of species known to use reduced N, S or Fe and CH 4 as energy sources. The water chemistry of Subglacial Lake Whillans was dominated by weathering products from silicate minerals with a minor influence from seawater. Contributions to water chemistry from microbial sulfide oxidation and carbonation reactions were supported by genomic data. Collectively, these results provide unequivocal evidence that subglacial environments in this region of West Antarctica host active microbial ecosystems that participate in subglacial biogeochemical cycling.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Biogeochemical cycle
Geologic Sediments
Aquatic Organisms
WISSARD
General Science & Technology
General Mathematics
WISSARD Science Team
030106 microbiology
General Physics and Astronomy
Antarctic Regions
Weathering
03 medical and health sciences
Affordable and Clean Energy
Whillans Ice Stream
Subglacial lake
subglacial lakes
Ecosystem
Ice Cover
Life Below Water
geography
geography.geographical_feature_category
Bacteria
General Engineering
Biogeochemistry
Glacier
Archaea
Lakes
Oceanography
microbial diversity
Environmental science
Antarctica
Ice sheet
geomicrobiology
Energy source
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences, vol 374, iss 2059, Mikucki, J A, Lee, P A, Ghosh, D, Purcell, A M, Mitchell, A C, Mankoff, K D, Fisher, A T, Tulaczyk, S, Carter, S, Siegfried, M R, Fricker, H A, Hodson, T, Coenen, M J H, Powell, R, Scherer, R, Vick-Majors, T, Achberger, A A, Christner, B C & Tranter, M 2016, ' Subglacial LakeWhillans microbial biogeochemistry : A synthesis of current knowledge ', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, vol. 374, no. 2059 . https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0290, Mikucki, JA; Lee, PA; Ghosh, D; Purcell, AM; Mitchell, AC; Mankoff, KD; et al.(2016). Subglacial Lake Whillans microbial biogeochemistry: a synthesis of current knowledge. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES, 374(2059). doi: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0290. UC Santa Cruz: Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/0nf2p82s
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....75bf061f2ea9906aa402a43677a71cb8