Protection of Antarctic microbial communities–‘out of sight, out of mind’

[en] RecentadvancesinmolecularbiologytechniqueshaveshownthepresenceofdiversemicrobialcommunitiesandendemicspeciesinAntarctica.Endemicmicrobesmaybeapotentialsourceofnovelbiotechnologicallyimportantcompounds,including,forexample,newantibiotics.Thus,thescientificandbiotechnologicalvalueofAntarcticterrestrialmicrobialhabitatscanbecompromisedbyhumanvisitationtoagreaterextentthanpreviouslyrealized.Theever-increasinghumanfootprintinAntarcticamakesconsiderationofthistopicmorepressing,asthenumberoflocationsknowntobepristinehabitats,whereincreasinglysophisticatedcutting-edgeresearchtechniquesmaybeusedtotheirfullpotential,declines.ExaminationoftheProtectedAreassystemoftheAntarcticTreatyshowsthatmicrobialhabitatsaregenerallypoorlyprotected.NoothercontinentonEarthisdominatedtothesamedegreebymicrobialspecies,andrealopportunitiesexisttodevelopnewwaysofconceptualizingandimplementingconservationofmicrobialbiogeographyonacontinentalscale.Herewehighlightpotentialthreatsbothtotheconservationofterrestrialmicrobialecosystems,andtofuturescientificresearchrequiringtheirstudy.

Research Center/Unit :

CIP - Centre d'Ingénierie des Protéines - ULiège

Disciplines :

Microbiology
Environmental sciences & ecology

Author, co-author :

Hughes, Kevin

Cowan, Don

Wilmotte, Annick ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences de la vie > Physiologie et génétique bactériennes

Language :

English

Title :

Protection of Antarctic microbial communities–‘out of sight, out of mind’

Alternative titles :

[fr] La protection des communautés microbiennes antarctiques - 'loin des yeux, loin du coeur'

Publication date :

25 February 2015

Journal title :

Frontiers in Microbiology

eISSN :

1664-302X

Publisher :

Frontiers Research Foundation, Lausanne, Switzerland

Special issue title :

Terra Incognita: microbial life in the terrestrial cryosphere

Volume :

Issue :

151

Pages :

1-6

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00151/abstract

Name of the research project :

Climate change and the Antarctic Microbial Diversity

Funders :

BELSPO - SPP Politique scientifique - Service Public Fédéral de Programmation Politique scientifique
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [BE]

Available on ORBi :

since 02 March 2015

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