Abstract
We investigated the interactions between snowpack chemistry, mercury (Hg) contamination and microbial community structure and function in Arctic snow. Snowpack chemistry (inorganic and organic ions) including mercury (Hg) speciation was studied in samples collected during a two-month field study in a high Arctic site, Svalbard, Norway (79°N). Shifts in microbial community structure were determined by using a 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic microarray. We linked snowpack and meltwater chemistry to changes in microbial community structure by using co-inertia analyses (CIA) and explored changes in community function due to Hg contamination by q-PCR quantification of Hg-resistance genes in metagenomic samples. Based on the CIA, chemical and microbial data were linked (p = 0.006) with bioavailable Hg (BioHg) and methylmercury (MeHg) contributing significantly to the ordination of samples. Mercury was shown to influence community function with increases in merA gene copy numbers at low BioHg levels. Our results show that snowpacks can be considered as dynamic habitats with microbial and chemical components responding rapidly to environmental changes.
Highlights
The Arctic environment experiences global changes due to climate shifts, long-range transportation of contaminants and increased human activity
This study acquired a large pool of physical chemical and microbiological data associated with each sample and there were several samples from different snow types at different times
This data was organized by the application of a coinertia analysis
Summary
The Arctic environment experiences global changes due to climate shifts, long-range transportation of contaminants and increased human activity. An important Arctic feature is the seasonal snow-cover, which extends over a third of the Earth’s land surface, covering up to 47 million km2 [1] and is considered to be a dynamic habitat of limited duration [2]. Snow is a receptor surface and storage compartment for nutrients, soluble inorganic and organic matter, and contaminant chemicals, such as mercury (Hg), that are delivered by wet and dry deposition [3,4]. Far from inert, seasonal Arctic snowpacks are chemically dynamic [6,7] and interact with different environmental compartments such as the atmosphere, soil and meltwater-fed ecosystems
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
