The Antarctic environment harbours a variety of bacterial species that are of great interest for their unique features. Antarctic bacteria have indeed adapted to the life in the most extreme environment on Earth and are therefore the object of studies in relation to several issue ranging from the study of the origin of life to the biotechnology application of their biomolecules (enzymes, polysaccharides, et cetera). During the XXXIII Italian Antarctic Expedition we had the opportunity to collect samples of water and sediments from various locations in the Ross Sea including the Antarctic Specially Protected Area n° 161 (ASPA 161). The aim of the collection campaign was to investigate the bacterial community living in association with the benthic fauna (meio- and macrofauna) in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica region. Here we report the preliminary results of the investigation of the bacterial community isolated from water samples collected in the ASPA 161. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence studies showed the majority of bacterial species isolated from this site belong to the genus Psychrobacter.
Extremophiles from Antarctica: the bacterial community living in association with the benthic fauna in the Ross sea
Paola Di Donato;Luigi Leone;Ilaria Finore;Roberto Abbamondi;Annarita Poli;Giuseppina Tommonaro;Barbara Nicolaus
2019
Abstract
The Antarctic environment harbours a variety of bacterial species that are of great interest for their unique features. Antarctic bacteria have indeed adapted to the life in the most extreme environment on Earth and are therefore the object of studies in relation to several issue ranging from the study of the origin of life to the biotechnology application of their biomolecules (enzymes, polysaccharides, et cetera). During the XXXIII Italian Antarctic Expedition we had the opportunity to collect samples of water and sediments from various locations in the Ross Sea including the Antarctic Specially Protected Area n° 161 (ASPA 161). The aim of the collection campaign was to investigate the bacterial community living in association with the benthic fauna (meio- and macrofauna) in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica region. Here we report the preliminary results of the investigation of the bacterial community isolated from water samples collected in the ASPA 161. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence studies showed the majority of bacterial species isolated from this site belong to the genus Psychrobacter.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
