Quantification of basal ice microbial cell delivery to the glacier margin

TY - JOUR

T1 - Quantification of basal ice microbial cell delivery to the glacier margin

AU - Toubes-Rodrigo, M.

AU - Cook, S. J.

AU - Elliott, D.

AU - Sen, R.

PY - 2016/11/3

Y1 - 2016/11/3

N2 - We present the first assessment of microbial cell discharge from sediment-laden glacier basal ice. At Svínafellsjökull, a temperate valley glacier in Iceland, approximately 10¹⁷ cells a⁻¹ are transferred through basal ice to the proglacial environment, and between 10¹ and 10⁶ cells g⁻¹ basal ice were cultured from our samples under laboratory conditions. We suggest that the delivery of viable cells and dead microbial matter to proglacial ecosystems could be playing a crucial role in soil formation and primary succession during deglaciation, but further quantification of cell transfer from a range of glacier contexts is required.

AB - We present the first assessment of microbial cell discharge from sediment-laden glacier basal ice. At Svínafellsjökull, a temperate valley glacier in Iceland, approximately 10¹⁷ cells a⁻¹ are transferred through basal ice to the proglacial environment, and between 10¹ and 10⁶ cells g⁻¹ basal ice were cultured from our samples under laboratory conditions. We suggest that the delivery of viable cells and dead microbial matter to proglacial ecosystems could be playing a crucial role in soil formation and primary succession during deglaciation, but further quantification of cell transfer from a range of glacier contexts is required.

U2 - 10.5194/bg-2016-471

DO - 10.5194/bg-2016-471

M3 - Article

SN - 1810-6285

VL - 2016

SP - 1

EP - 8

JO - Biogeosciences Discussions

JF - Biogeosciences Discussions

ER -