Bacterial communities of surface mixed layer in the Pacific sector of the western Arctic Ocean during sea-ice melting

PLoS One. 2014 Jan 31;9(1):e86887. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086887. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

From July to August 2010, the IBRV ARAON journeyed to the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean to monitor bacterial variation in Arctic summer surface-waters, and temperature, salinity, fluorescence, and nutrient concentrations were determined during the ice-melting season. Among the measured physicochemical parameters, we observed a strong negative correlation between temperature and salinity, and consequently hypothesized that the melting ice decreased water salinity. The bacterial community compositions of 15 samples, includicng seawater, sea-ice, and melting pond water, were determined using a pyrosequencing approach and were categorized into three habitats: (1) surface seawater, (2) ice core, and (3) melting pond. Analysis of these samples indicated the presence of local bacterial communities; a deduction that was further corroborated by the discovery of seawater- and ice-specific bacterial phylotypes. In all samples, the Alphaproteobacteria, Flavobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria taxa composed the majority of the bacterial communities. Among these, Alphaproteobacteria was the most abundant and present in all samples, and its variation differed among the habitats studied. Linear regression analysis suggested that changes in salinity could affect the relative proportion of Alphaproteobacteria in the surface water. In addition, the species-sorting model was applied to evaluate the population dynamics and environmental heterogeneity in the bacterial communities of surface mixed layer in the Arctic Ocean during sea-ice melting.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alphaproteobacteria / classification
  • Alphaproteobacteria / genetics
  • Alphaproteobacteria / growth & development
  • Ammonium Compounds / analysis
  • Arctic Regions
  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Bacteria / growth & development*
  • Ecosystem*
  • Flavobacteriaceae / classification
  • Flavobacteriaceae / growth & development
  • Fresh Water / chemistry
  • Fresh Water / microbiology*
  • Gammaproteobacteria / classification
  • Gammaproteobacteria / genetics
  • Gammaproteobacteria / growth & development
  • Geography
  • Ice Cover / chemistry
  • Ice Cover / microbiology*
  • Linear Models
  • Nitrates / analysis
  • Nitrogen Dioxide / analysis
  • Oceans and Seas
  • Phosphates / analysis
  • Phylogeny
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Salinity
  • Seasons
  • Seawater / chemistry
  • Seawater / microbiology*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Silicon Dioxide / analysis
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Ammonium Compounds
  • Nitrates
  • Phosphates
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • Silicon Dioxide
  • Nitrogen Dioxide

Grants and funding

This research was supported by a grant from the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI; http://www.kopri.re.kr) as K-Polar projects (PP10090; PP11020; PM11050). This study was also supported by the Polar Academic Program (PD12010) of the KOPRI, Gwanju Institute of Science and Technology and Inha University, Korea, 2012. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.