CIEMAT Publications

Abstract

The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the areas where the greatest increase in average temperature has been observed in the last 60 years. This directly affects the thickness of the active soil layer and biological processes. In this work, the relationship between microbial activity and other, biotic and abiotic variables was studied. Four soils were used, from the 2018 Antarctic campaign, located in the South Shetland Islands: Deception Island (2 samples), Livingston Island (Hurd Peninsula) and King George Island (Barton Peninsula). Microbiological variables (substrate-induced respirometry, basal respirometry and microbial cultures) and physicochemical variables (pH, electrical conductivity, water holding capacity, humidity, organic matter, organic and total carbon, phosphates and elemental nitrogen) were determined. The soils showed different edaphic characteristics, according to the results of the physicochemical and chemical analysis. Soil Microbial Activity in the soil samples of Deception Island was very high; this can be due to the low microbial diversity; practically only opportunistic microorganisms grew in the plates. This work is ongoing with further assays of the soil organic matter mineralization under different temperatures.