Culturable microbes in shallow groundwater underlying ornithogenic soil of Cape Hallett, Antarctica

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the culturable psychrotolerant microbial community in groundwater from Seabee Hook, Antarctica. Shallow groundwater can be present in coastal regions at higher latitudes during the Antarctic summer. Perched groundwater atop ice-cemented permafrost occurs on Seabee Hook, Cape Hallett, at depths from 5 to 80 cm below the soil surface. Compared with terrestrial water from other sites in Antarctica, the groundwater was high in salt and nutrients, reflecting proximity to the sea and ornithogenic soil. Microbial communities in groundwater samples from Seabee Hook exhibited aerobic metabolism of 14C-acetate at 5 degrees C. Numbers of culturable aerobic heterotrophs in the samples ranged from <10 to ca. 1 x 106 colony-forming units.mL-1, and similar numbers of microaerophiles and nitrate reducers were detected. In contrast, numbers of nitrifiers, sulfate reducers, and iron reducers were up to 1000-fold lower. All cultures were incubated at 5 degrees C. Aerobic heterotrophic bacteria isolated from the groundwater were assigned to Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, or Bacteroidetes. The isolates were most similar to cultured bacteria from Antarctic soil or sediment and were cold, salt, and alkaline pH tolerant, indicating they are adapted to in situ conditions.