Application of the Succession Approach in Studying the Prokaryotic Community in Soils of East Antarctica

Abstract

Prokaryotic communities of soils in oases of East Antarctica were studied at a model experiment with application of the succession approach. The total number of prokaryotes and filtered forms of prokaryotes, as well as the taxonomical diversity of the saprotrophic bacterial complex, were determined in two soil samples differing in organic matter content at temperatures of 5 and 20°C. We fixed the maximum total number of bacteria on the 14th day and the minimum number on the 1st and 160th (the end of the experiment) days in all variants. The amount and percentage of filtered forms of prokaryotes were the highest at the start of the experiment and the smallest on the 14th day. It is assumed that revival of Antarctica soils by humidification and incubation at temperatures above zero favors activation of dormant cells and their transition to viable status. Filtered forms of prokaryotes can be assigned to the pool of cells, which makes it possible to preserve bacteria at extremely low temperatures and without available water and nutrients. The succession approach enables more complete characterization of the taxonomic diversity of the saprotrophic bacterial complex and isolation of a wider genera of gram-negative bacteria than with a single inoculation of soil kept frozen. So it can be recommended for studying the prokaryotic community of Antarctica soils in model experiments.