Project: Antarctic microbial biodiversity: the importance of geographical and ecological factors (AMBIO)

15-DEC-06 – 31-JAN-09

Abstract

AMBIO will determine the microbial diversity, community composition and taxonomic turnover in permanently and seasonally wet habitats across Antarctica, and assess the relative importance of ecological versus historical factors in explaining the geographical distribution of particular taxa and communities. Molecular fingerprinting approaches will be complemented with culture collections of focal groups, such as Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta.