National Repository of Grey Literature 2 records found  Search took 0.01 seconds. 
Microbial assemblages associated with methane release from the Greenland ice sheet
Znamínko, Matěj ; Stibal, Marek (advisor) ; Cameron, Karen (referee)
Subglacial environments provide conditions suitable for the microbial production of methane, an important greenhouse gas, which can be released from beneath the ice as a result of glacial melting. High gaseous methane emissions have recently been discovered at Russell Glacier, an outlet of the southwestern margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet, acting not only as a potential climate amplifier but also as a substrate for methane-consuming microorganisms. Here, we describe the composition of the microbial assemblage exported in meltwater from the methane release hotspot at Russell Glacier and its changes over the melt season and as it travels downstream. We found that a substantial part (27.1 %) of the exported assemblage was made up of methylotrophs and that the relative abundance of methylotrophs increased as the melt season progressed, likely due to the seasonal development of the glacial drainage system. The methylotrophs were dominated by representatives of Type I methanotrophs from the Gammaproteobacteria; however, their relative abundance decreased with increasing distance from the ice margin at the expense of methylotrophs from the Betaproteobacteria and Type II methanotrophs (Alphaproteobacteria). These changes could be attributed to the different physiological demands of these groups. Our...
Mobilisation of subglacial microbes during deglaciation and their export to downstream ecosystems
Znamínko, Matěj ; Stibal, Marek (advisor) ; Řeháková, Klára (referee)
Subglacial environments harbor active microbial communities. The composition of these communities is influenced by a number of factors, with glacial hydrology being one of the most important ones. This affects not only formation of subglacial communities but also the mobilisation of microorganisms and their subsequent release to downstream ecosystems. The seasonally evolving drainage system connects supraglacial and subglacial environments, and thus microorganisms from supraglacial environments are exported to proglacial streams along with subglacial microorganisms. The contribution of these two microbial communities to proglacial assemblage is not uniform and may be influenced by the size or geographical location of the glacier or by the phase of the glacier drainage system. Microorganisms from proglacial assemblages can form biofilms in proglacial streams or contribute to the community composition in downstream ecosystems. This work summarizes current knowledge of mobilisation and subsequent export of microorganisms from subglacial environments.

Interested in being notified about new results for this query?
Subscribe to the RSS feed.