Microbial and Ecological Investigations of Recent Cinder Cones, Deception Island, Antarctica‐‐A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Cinder cones that arose December 1967 within Telefon Bay, Deception Island, Antarctica, were investigated 1 year later to determine the establishment of microorganisms and cryptogams. Culture media were inoculated to determine the presence and abundance of algae, fungi, heteorotrophic and chemoautotrophic, aerobic, microaerophilic, and anaerobic bacteria. No mosses or lichens had become established on the cones. Algae, fungi, and bacteria were generally most abundant around fumaroles emitting moisture and CO2. Several samples contained few or no culturable microorganisms. "Soil" properties of coarse—textured, relatively unweathered acid volcanic materials were unfavorable for growth, despite the presence of moisture. Microorganisms were identified from the cinder cones and included primarily soil diphtheroids and Bacillus spp., Chlorococcum humicola, and Penicillium spp. Most of the bacteria could grow at 2°C as well as at 20°C.

Aerobiology and colonization in Antarctica — the BIOTAS Programme

“…Geothermally-heated Antarctic soils are a bizarre habitat eminently suited to studies of colonization by the aerobiota. Examples occur near sea level on Deception Island, South Shetland Islands (Cameron & Benoit 1970) and at the summits Atitarctic tiiicrobial aerobiology -BIOTAS 381 of volcanoes such as Mt. Erebus, Ross Island Thcsc extreme conditions permit identification of limiting filctors for a biota of low species diversity and therefore detection of change within the community (Wynn-\Villiams 1990 0).…”

Microbial Community Comparisons as a Function of the Physical and Geochemical Conditions of Galápagos Island Fumaroles

“…Numerous studies have been conducted in and around geothermal features within Yellowstone National Park, WY, USA (Ferris et al 1996;Hugenholtz et al 1998;Norris et al 2002;Barrie Johnson et al 2003;Walker et al 2005). In addition, the microbial diversity of geothermally heated soils in Antarctica (Cameron and Benoit 1970;Hudson and Daniel 1988;Logan et al 2000Logan et al , 2002 and the shallow hydrothermal vents and surrounding fumaroles of Solfatara Crater in Italy (Gugliando and Maugeri 1993; Glamoclija et al 2004) have been described.…”

Microbial ecology of terrestrial Antarctica: Are microbial systems at risk from human activities?

“…Microbiota living at or near the substrate surface in continental Antarctica are subjected to prolonged periods of sub-freezing temperatures, desiccation, hypersalinity, and transient and diurnal freeze-thaw cycles (WynnWilliams 1990). In most areas, liquid water necessary to support the microbial growth required to stabilize the soil surface is inadequate (Cameron and Benoit 1970). The high velocity of katabatic winds common on the Antarctic continent also tend to substantially disrupt the soil surface.…”

“…The presence of suitable substrate may be of greater significance than climatic conditions in defining the presence and/or diversity of soil microorganisms in Antarctica (Boyd et al 1966;Cameron and Benoit 1970;Cameron 1972b;Cameron et al 1971a;Cameron and Ford 1974). Cameron et al (1970a) reported greater density and diversity of microorganisms in younger soils with northern (sunny) exposures in comparison with older, better developed soils on southern with northern (sunny) exposures in comparison with older, better developed soils on southern exposures found nearby, and concluded that the development of microbial ecosystems in terrestrial Antarctica requires a favorable complex of interacting microclimatic and edaphic factors.…”