It has been demonstrated that the englacial ecosystem in volcanic environments is inhabited by active bacteria. To know whether this result could be extrapolated to other Antarctic glaciers and to study the populations of microeukaryotes in addition to those of bacteria, a study was performed using ice samples from eight glaciers in the South Shetland archipelago. The identification of microbial communities of bacteria and microeukaryotes using 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA high throughput sequencing showed a great diversity when compared with microbiomes of other Antarctic glaciers or frozen deserts. Even the composition of the microbial communities identified in the glaciers from the same island was different, which may be due to the isolation of microbial clusters within the ice. A gradient in the abundance and diversity of the microbial communities from the volcano (west to the east) was observed. Additionally, a significant correlation was found between the chemical conditions of the ice samples and the composition of the prokaryotic populations inhabiting them along the volcanic gradient. The bacteria that participate in the sulfur cycle were those that best fit this trend. Furthermore, on the eastern island, a clear influence of human contamination was observed on the glacier microbiome.

Recibido: 5 de marzo de 2012 Aceptado: 7 de maio de 2012Resumo: A crise financeira, económica e máis tarde de débeda soberana afectou de modo especial á Unión Económica e Monetaria (UEM). Para salvagardar o euro e facerlle fronte á crise os Estados membros pertencentes á UEM seguiron un dobre enfoque: primeiro, levar a cabo un proceso de consolidación fiscal, isto é, de austeridade; e segundo, mellorar a gobernanza económica da UE. Con respecto á austeridade, os países realizaron fortes axustes reducindo gasto público e en moitos casos aumentando impostos. Esta política tivo un efecto positivo sobre a disciplina orzamentaria, e un efecto moi negativo sobre o crecemento e o emprego, que pode traducirse nunha nova recesión no ano 2012. En relación coa gobernanza económica, repásase a que existía antes da crise, poñendo de manifesto os fallos na súa implementación. Posteriormente, examínase o novo marco de gobernanza económica, que supón a supervisión europea en tres ámbitos: o orzamentario, o macroeconómico e o financeiro. Para levala a cabo establecéronse novos instrumentos, algúns dos cales só afectan aos países da zona euro. Este traballo mostra as carencias dalgúns deles. A nova gobernanza económica supón un avance importante, pero non resolve os problemas de fondo da UE e máis especificamente da zona euro. En efecto, non se avanza na unión fiscal, non se crea un mecanismo de rescate con dotación suficiente para facerlles fronte aos problemas que poidan presentar países como Italia e España, non se avanza en converter o Banco Central Europeo en prestamista en última instancia, e tampouco non se creou un instrumento que permita a mutualización da débeda pública dos países da zona euro. A solución para a zona euro consistiría na cesión de soberanía por parte dos Estados membros a un ministerio de finanzas que, entre outras funcións, fose responsable do ámbito fiscal, da supervisión macroeconómica e orzamentaria dos distintos países e da emisión de eurobonos. Abstract: The financial and economic crisis and later the debt sovereign crisis have had special effects in the European Monetary Union (EMU). Several countries belonging to the euro zone have been rescued and the euro has passed many troubles. To protect the euro and to tackle to the crisis the Member states of the EMU have followed a double approach. First fiscal consolidation, austerity. Second to improve economic governance. Concerning austerity Member states have reduced public expenses and in many cases have increased taxes. This policy have had a positive effect about budgetary discipline but a very negative effect about growth and employment with the possibility to fall in a new recession in 2012 so three years later the recession of 2009. This situation is not the better to close the gap between the potential growth of the EU and its main competitors countries one of the structural problems of the EU. Concerning the economic governance the article pass in review the existing before the crisis indicating some failures in its implementation. Later is a...