Bacterial communities versus anthropogenic disturbances in the Antarctic coastal marine environment

Abstract

The Antarctic coastal marine environment is experiencing multiple stressors deriving from the concomitant effects of global environmental forcings and local disturbances from anthropogenic activities at research stations. Main contaminants include hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, antibiotics and heavy metals, in addition to (micro)plastics which represent an emerging problem also in polar remote areas. Much more efforts are necessary to better clarify the effects of individual or co-occurring contaminants on the unique and fragile Antarctic environment, and to find novel and suitable solutions to avoid and mitigate contamination events. In Antarctica, autochthonous cold-adapted bacterial communities play a dual role as they sustain (and contribute to) the functioning of the Antarctic marine ecosystem, by supporting life under extreme conditions, and actively participate to the restoration of contaminated areas, thanks to their peculiar metabolic capabilities. Thus, they could represent a keystone for the environmental sustainability and restoration of contaminated Antarctic marine areas. Here, the interactions between the bacterial communities in coastal Antarctic marine environments and the human disturbance mainly derived from the proximity to research stations are reviewed.