Microbial diversity and biogeography in Arctic soils

Lucie A Malard,David A Pearce

doi:10.1111/1758-2229.12680

Abstract

Microorganisms dominate terrestrial environments in the polar regions and Arctic soils are known to harbour significant microbial diversity, far more diverse and numerous in the region than was once thought. Furthermore, the geographic distribution and structure of Arctic microbial communities remains elusive, despite their important roles in both biogeochemical cycling and in the generation and decomposition of climate active gases. Critically, Arctic soils are estimated to store over 1500 Pg of carbon and, thus, have the potential to generate positive feedback within the climate system. As the Arctic region is currently undergoing rapid change, the likelihood of faster release of greenhouse gases such as CO2 , CH4 and N2 O is increasing. Understanding the microbial communities in the region, in terms of their diversity, abundance and functional activity, is key to producing accurate models of greenhouse gas release. This review brings together existing data to determine what we know about microbial diversity and biogeography in Arctic soils.

Highlights

SummaryMicroorganisms dominate terrestrial environments in the polar regions and Arctic soils are known to harbour significant microbial diversity, far more diverse and numerous in the region than was once thought
The polar cryosphere represents approximately 14% of the Earth’s surface (Morita, 1975; Boetius et al, 2015)
Increased microbial activity may lead to increased release of climate active gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) into the atmosphere (Fierer et al, 2007; Mackelprang et al, 2011), creating positive feedback on the climate system

Summary

Microorganisms dominate terrestrial environments in the polar regions and Arctic soils are known to harbour significant microbial diversity, far more diverse and numerous in the region than was once thought. The geographic distribution and structure of Arctic microbial communities remains elusive, despite their important roles in both biogeochemical cycling and in the generation and decomposition of climate active gases. Arctic soils are estimated to store over 1500 Pg of carbon and, have the potential to generate positive feedback within the climate system. As the Arctic region is currently undergoing rapid change, the likelihood of faster release of greenhouse gases such as CO2, CH4 and N2O is increasing. Understanding the microbial communities in the region, in terms of their diversity, abundance and functional activity, is key to producing accurate models of greenhouse gas release. This review brings together existing data to determine what we know about microbial diversity and biogeography in Arctic soils

Introduction

Findings

Concluding remarks