Hydrocarbon biodegradation potential of microbial communities from high Arctic beaches in Canada's Northwest Passage

AbstractIn marine ecosystems, viruses exert control on the composition and metabolism of microbial communities, thus influencing overall biogeochemical cycling. Deep sea sediments associated with cold seeps are known to host taxonomically diverse microbial communities, but little is known about viruses infecting these microorganisms. Here, we probed metagenomes from seven geographically diverse cold seeps across global oceans, to assess viral diversity, virus-host interaction, and virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs). Gene-sharing network comparisons with viruses inhabiting other ecosystems reveal that cold seep sediments harbour considerable unexplored viral diversity. Most cold seep viruses display high degrees of endemism with seep fluid flux being one of the main drivers of viral community composition. In silico predictions linked 14.2% of the viruses to microbial host populations, with many belonging to poorly understood candidate bacterial and archaeal phyla. Lysis was predicted to be a predominant viral lifestyle based on lineage-specific virus/host abundance ratios. Metabolic predictions of prokaryotic host genomes and viral AMGs suggest that viruses influence microbial hydrocarbon biodegradation at cold seeps, as well as other carbon, sulfur and nitrogen cycling via virus-induced mortality and/or metabolic augmentation. Overall, these findings reveal the global diversity and biogeography of cold seep viruses and indicate how viruses may manipulate seep microbial ecology and biogeochemistry.

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Comparing Rock-inhabiting Microbial Communities in Different Rock Types from a High Arctic Polar Desert

FEMS Microbiology Ecology ◽

10.1093/femsec/fiy070 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yong-Hoe Choe ◽

Mincheol Kim ◽

Jusun Woo ◽

Mi Jung Lee ◽

Jong Ik Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

High Arctic ◽

Polar Desert ◽

Rock Types

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Microbial Communities in a High Arctic Polar Desert Landscape

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2016.00419 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Clare M. McCann ◽

Matthew J. Wade ◽

Neil D. Gray ◽

Jennifer A. Roberts ◽

Casey R. J. Hubert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

High Arctic ◽

Polar Desert ◽

Desert Landscape

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In Situ Field Sequencing and Life Detection in Remote (79°26′N) Canadian High Arctic Permafrost Ice Wedge Microbial Communities

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2017.02594 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

J. Goordial ◽

Ianina Altshuler ◽

Katherine Hindson ◽

Kelly Chan-Yam ◽

Evangelos Marcolefas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

High Arctic ◽

Canadian High Arctic ◽

Ice Wedge ◽

Life Detection

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Assessment of the petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation potential of the sediment microbial community from an urban fringing tidal marsh of Northern New England

10.1101/279760 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Sinéad M. Ní Chadhain ◽

Jarett L. Miller ◽

John P. Dustin ◽

Jeff P. Trethewey ◽

Stephen H. Jones ◽

...

Keyword(s):

16S Rrna ◽

New England ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Tidal Marsh ◽

Tidal Marshes ◽

Hydrocarbon Biodegradation ◽

Alkane Hydroxylase ◽

Great Bay Estuary ◽

Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

The Impact

AbstractWe assessed the impact of dodecane,n-hexane and gasoline on the microbial diversity of chronically polluted fringing tidal marsh sediment from the Great Bay Estuary of New Hampshire. Dilution cultures containing saturated alkane concentrations were sampled at zero, one and 10 days, andalkBandcyp153A1alkane hydroxylase gene libraries and 16S rRNA sequences were analyzed. The initial sediment had the most diverse alkane hydroxylase sequences and phylogenetic composition whereas treated sediments became less functionally and phylogenetically diverse with alkane substrates apparently enriching a few dominant taxa. All 1-and 10-day samples were dominated byPseudomonas-type alkane hydroxylase sequences except in dodecane treatments where primarilyRhodococcus--type alkane hydroxylases were detected. 16S rRNA profiling revealed that the Gammaproteobacteria, particularlyPseudomonas, dominated all one day samples, especially then-hexane and gasoline treatments (63.2 and 47.2% respectively) and the 10-dayn-hexane treatment (which contained 60.8%Pseudomonasand 18.6%Marinobacter).In contrast, the 10 days of dodecane treatment enriched for Actinobacteria (26.2%Rhodococcusand 32.4%Mycobacterium)and gasoline treatment enriched for Firmicutes (29.7%; mainlyBacillus, LysinibacillusandRumelibacillus).Our data indicate that fringing tidal marshes contain microbial communities with alkane-degrading abilities similar to larger meadow marshes, and support the hypothesis that alkane exposure reduces the functional and phylogenetic diversity of microbial communities in an alkane-specific manner. Further research to evaluate the ability of such fringing marsh communities to rebound to pre-pollutant diversity levels should be conducted to better assess the threat of petroleum to these habitats.

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An Exploration of Canadian Identity in Recent Literary Narratives of the Franklin Expeditions

ELOPE English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries ◽

10.4312/elope.3.1-2.193-200 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 3 (1-2) ◽

pp. 193-200

Author(s):

Victor Kennedy

Keyword(s):

Nineteenth Century ◽

Short Stories ◽

British Empire ◽

Short Story ◽

Web Sites ◽

High Arctic ◽

Advanced Technology ◽

Canadian Identity ◽

Northwest Passage ◽

History Books

Sir John Franklin’s three expeditions to the high Arctic in 1819, 1825, and 1845 have become the stuff of Canadian legend, enshrined in history books, songs, short stories, novels, and web sites. Franklin set out in 1845 to discover the Northwest Passage with the most advanced technology the British Empire could muster, and disappeared forever. Many rescue explorations found only scant evidence of the Expedition, and the mystery was finally solved only recently. This paper will explore four recent fictional works on Franklin’s expeditions, Stan Rogers’ song “Northwest Passage”, Margaret Atwood’s short story “The Age of Lead”, Rudy Wiebe’s A Discovery of Strangers, and John Wilson’s North with Franklin: the Lost Journals of James Fitzjames, to see how Franklin’s ghost has haunted the hopes and values of nineteenth-century, as well as modern, Canada.

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Microbial dynamics in a High-Arctic glacier forefield: a combined field, laboratory, and modelling approach

10.5194/bg-2016-52 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

James A. Bradley ◽

Sandra Arndt ◽

Marie Šabacká ◽

Liane G. Benning ◽

Gary L. Barker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Numerical Model ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Community Dynamics ◽

Heterotrophic Bacteria ◽

High Arctic ◽

Soil Development ◽

Arctic Soils ◽

Field Laboratory ◽

Modelling Approach

Abstract. Modelling the development of soils in glacier forefields is necessary in order to assess how microbial and geochemical processes interact and shape soil development in response to glacier retreat. Furthermore, such models can help us predict microbial growth and the fate of Arctic soils in an increasingly ice-free future. Here, for the first time, we combined field sampling with laboratory analyses and numerical modelling to investigate microbial community dynamics in oligotrophic proglacial soils in Svalbard. We measured low bacterial growth rates and growth efficiencies (relative to estimates from Alpine glacier forefields), and high sensitivity to soil temperature (relative to temperate soils). We used these laboratory measurements to inform parameter values in a new numerical model and significantly refined predictions of microbial and biogeochemical dynamics of soil development over a period of roughly 120 years. The model predicted the observed accumulation of autotrophic and heterotrophic biomass. Genomic data indicated that initial microbial communities were dominated by bacteria derived from the subglacial environment, whereas older soils hosted a mixed community of autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria. This finding was validated by the numerical model, which showed that active microbial communities play key roles in fixing and recycling carbon and nutrients. We also demonstrated the role of allochthonous carbon and microbial necromass in sustaining a pool of organic material, despite high heterotrophic activity in older soils. This combined field, laboratory and modelling approach demonstrates the value of integrated model-data studies to understand and quantify the functioning of the microbial community in an emerging High-Arctic soil ecosystem.

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Structure of microbial communities in lake sediments of the High Arctic

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-730 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anne-Marie Lapointe ◽

Yohanna Klanten ◽

Alexander Culley ◽

Catherine Girard ◽

Dermot Antoniades

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

Lake Sediments ◽

High Arctic

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The Early Exploration of Greenland

Earth Sciences History ◽

10.17704/eshi.10.2.67746354n7215371 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 247-258

Author(s):

Jørgen Taagholt

Keyword(s):

Scientific Knowledge ◽

Scientific Research ◽

High Arctic ◽

North Pole ◽

The Arctic ◽

Northwest Passage ◽

The North ◽

New Information ◽

Early Exploration ◽

Southwest Greenland

About 4000 years ago the first immigration of Inuit tribes explorated Greenland, and about 1000 years ago the Norsemen explorated southwest Greenland; and Icelandic sagas describe every-day life. The early search for the Northwest Passage years ago was followed by intensive whaling during 17th and 18th centuries. The connection between Greenland and Scandinavia was re-established by Hans Egede, who started his missionary and explorationary activity in 1721, whereafter polymaths from Denmark and other countries contributed to our scientific knowledge. Several attempts to reach the North Pole resulted in new information about the High Arctic Greenland, while local Inuit, such as Hans Hendrik, played an important role in several expeditions in the Arctic. The growing Danish and foreign scientific expeditions led to the Danish government establishing in 1878 established the Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland, whose mandate was to coordinate such research.

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