Fildes Peninsula, in King George Island, Antarctica, has a great concentration of international facilities, and it has clearly been affected by human activities. The objective of this 5-year study was to assess the im...Fildes Peninsula, in King George Island, Antarctica, has a great concentration of international facilities, and it has clearly been affected by human activities. The objective of this 5-year study was to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities on the bacterial abundance in water bodies close to Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base （BCAA, in Spanish Base Cientifica Antdrtica Artigas）. Water samples from areas under different human influence （Uruguay Lake, nearby ponds, and meltwater from Collins Glacier） 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, and conductivity） were also determined. Results showed that water from the highly affected area, Uruguay Lake, where the pump that provides water to the BCAA is located, did not suffer significant fluctuations in heterotrophie bacterial abundance （10^4- 10^5 CFU.mL^-1）; however, Pseudomonas abundance increased until becoming the predominant population. In other water samples, the number of heterotrophie bacteria and Pseudomonas gradually increased during this 5-year study, by 2014 reaching similar values to those observed for Uruguay Lake. The implications of human activities on Antarctic bacterial abundance are discussed.展开更多
基金supported by the Program for the Development of Basic Sciences (Programa de Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas, PEDECIBA)provided by the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute (Instituto Antártico Uruguayo, IAU)
文摘Fildes Peninsula, in King George Island, Antarctica, has a great concentration of international facilities, and it has clearly been affected by human activities. The objective of this 5-year study was to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities on the bacterial abundance in water bodies close to Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base （BCAA, in Spanish Base Cientifica Antdrtica Artigas）. Water samples from areas under different human influence （Uruguay Lake, nearby ponds, and meltwater from Collins Glacier） 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, and conductivity） were also determined. Results showed that water from the highly affected area, Uruguay Lake, where the pump that provides water to the BCAA is located, did not suffer significant fluctuations in heterotrophie bacterial abundance （10^4- 10^5 CFU.mL^-1）; however, Pseudomonas abundance increased until becoming the predominant population. In other water samples, the number of heterotrophie bacteria and Pseudomonas gradually increased during this 5-year study, by 2014 reaching similar values to those observed for Uruguay Lake. The implications of human activities on Antarctic bacterial abundance are discussed.
