pubmed-article:20006478 | pubmed:abstractText | Bacterial community composition was determined by culture-independent PCR-based methods in two soils differing markedly in their water, C, N and P contents sampled from Mars Oasis on Alexander Island, western Antarctic Peninsula. 16S rRNA sequences of the phyla Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, ?-Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were commonly (> 8% frequency) obtained from soil. Those of ?-, ?- and ?-Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, Gemmatimonadetes and Firmicutes were less frequent. Comparisons of slopes of collector's curves and the Shannon-Weiner diversity index indicated no difference in overall bacterial diversity between the two soils, although sequences of ?-Proteobacteria and the cyanobacterial genus Leptolyngbya were more commonly derived from the soil with the higher water and nutrient content. The data suggest that different levels of soil water, C, N and P have only a minor effect on the bacterial community composition of maritime Antarctic soils. | lld:pubmed |