Five-year bio-monitoring of aquatic ecosystems near Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base, King George Island

Abstract

Fildes Peninsula, in King George Island, Antarctica, has a great concentration of international facilities, and it hasclearly been affected by human activities. The objective of this 5-year study was to assess the impact of anthropogenic activitieson the bacterial abundance in water bodies close to Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base (BCAA, in Spanish Base Cientifica AntarticaArtigas ). Water samples from areas under different human influence (Uruguay Lake, nearby ponds, and meltwater from CollinsGlacier) were aseptically collected and refrigerated until processed. The number of heterotrophic bacteria and Pseudomonas spp. was analyzed using a culture-dependent approach. Physico-chemical properties of the water samples (temperature, pH, andconductivity) were also determined. Results showed that water from the highly affected area, Uruguay Lake, where the pumpthat provides water to the BCAA is located, did not suffer significant fluctuations in heterotrophic bacterial abundance (104–105 CFU.mL.1); however, Pseudomonas abundance increased until becoming the predominant population. In other water samples,the number of heterotrophic bacteria and Pseudomonas gradually increased during this 5-year study, by 2014 reaching similarvalues to those observed for Uruguay Lake. The implications of human activities on Antarctic bacterial abundance are discussed. Citation: Morel M A, Brana V, Martinez-Rosales C, et al. Five-year bio-monitoring of aquatic ecosystems near Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base, King George Island. Adv Polar Sci, 2015, 26: 102-106, doi: 10.13679/j.advps.2015.1.00102