Metagenomic of Microbial Communities From Environments With Geothermal Activity at Deception Island Volcano, Antarctica

• Grant number: 12/23241-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Biological Oceanography
• Principal researcher: Vivian Helena Pellizari
• Grantee: Amanda Gonçalves Bendia
• Home Institution: Instituto Oceanográfico (IO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Volcanic geothermal sources are widely distributed on earth, being concentrated in areas with high tectonic activity. Volcanic activity in Antarctica can be found in circumpolar islands and some continental sites. Antarctica has extreme weather conditions and its geographical isolation offers unique features for studies of microbial evolution. Deception Island (circumpolar South Shetland Islands), is a horseshoe-shaped stratovolcano that has a series of fumaroles and hot springs. Studies directed to functional microbial diversity in these environments are still very scarce, mainly due to methodological limitations. Only recently have been developed new technologies for DNA sequencing that enabled the emergence of metagenomic technique, being possible to evaluate the physiological and metabolic profiles of the community. In this context, this project aims to describe the structure of the microbial community as their functional and phylogenetic diversity in environments with geothermal activities in Deception Island, through metagenomic techniques, as well as identifying culturable microorganisms in these samples, using traditional cultivation methods and High-throughput cultivation methods . Whereas the physiological and metabolic characteristics of the micro-organisms are essential for the study of microbial communities and their interaction with the environment, this study should provide a more detailed understanding of the central questions of physiological adaptation and microbial evolution in geothermal environments, and provide clues about the emergence of life in similar environments commonly found on Pre-Cambrian Earth.

Scientific publications

(5)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BENDIA, AMANDA GONCALVES; LEMOS, LEANDRO NASCIMENTO; MENDES, LUCAS WILLIAM; SIGNORI, CAMILA NEGRAO; BOHANNAN, BRENDAN J. M.; PELLIZARI, VIVIAN HELENA. Metabolic potential and survival strategies of microbial communities across extreme temperature gradients on Deception Island volcano, Antarctica. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, v. 23, n. 7, p. 4054-4073, JUL 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

TONELLI, MARCOS; SIGNORI, CAMILA NEGRAO; BENDIA, AMANDA; NEIVA, JULIANA; FERRERO, BRUNO; PELLIZARI, VIVIAN; WAINER, ILANA. Climate Projections for the Southern Ocean Reveal Impacts in the Marine Microbial Communities Following Increases in Sea Surface Temperature. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE, v. 8, MAY 20 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

BENDIA, AMANDA G.; ARAUJO, GABRIEL G.; PULSCHEN, ANDRE A.; CONTRO, BRUNA; DUARTE, RUBENS T. D.; RODRIGUES, FABIO; GALANTE, DOUGLAS; PELLIZARI, VIVIAN H. Surviving in hot and cold: psychrophiles and thermophiles from Deception Island volcano, Antarctica. EXTREMOPHILES, v. 22, n. 6, p. 917-929, NOV 2018. Web of Science Citations: 4.

BENDIA, AMANDA G.; SIGNORI, CAMILA N.; FRANCO, DIEGO C.; DUARTE, RUBENS T. D.; BOHANNAN, BRENDAN J. M.; PELLIZARI, VIVIAN H. A Mosaic of Geothermal and Marine Features Shapes Microbial Community Structure on Deception Island Volcano, Antarctica. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 9, MAY 7 2018. Web of Science Citations: 4.

PULSCHEN, ANDRE A.; BENDIA, AMANDA G.; FRICKER, ASHWANA D.; PELLIZARI, VIVIAN H.; GALANTE, DOUGLAS; RODRIGUES, FABIO. Isolation of Uncultured Bacteria from Antarctica Using Long Incubation Periods and Low Nutritional Media. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 8, JUL 14 2017. Web of Science Citations: 12.