Metla Project 640047

Impact of Climate Fluctuations on Microbial Communities Responsible for Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Arctic Soils

Duration: 2008-2012
Research project group: Forest Soil Science project group

Objectives

Arctic and boreal environments cover 22% of the terrestrial surface and are thus important contributors to the atmospheric chemistry and climate. Global climate warming is predicted to affect these environments most severely and temperature-induced changes in the soil microbial activities are expected to have a profound impact in the future.

The aim of this project is to examine the role of different bacterial groups in carbon and nitrogen cycling in Arctic soil environments and assess the selection mechanisms promoting the dominance of key species in changing temperature regimes. Climate fluctuations in the Arctic are expected have a major impact on the microbial community that is active at different temperatures and this will greatly affect carbon and nitrogen turnover in Arctic soil environments.

Arctic Microbe Culture Collection ARMI

Cold environments such as Arctic tundra soil harbour a wide diversity of unusual and unknown microbes which ecological role and physiological features remain to be investigated. FFR1 hosts a microbial culture collection that has amassed over 600 bacterial and yeast strains from environmental samples collected from Finnish Lapland and Svalbard. The bacterial strains represent a wide diversity of different Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes , Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes species. These strains are adapted to their cold environment and can be cultivated at very low temperatures, some down to –5 C.

The cold-active bacteria represent a large pool of novel biochemical and genetic diversity. In collaboration with Åbo Academi University, dept of pharmacy, we are studying the diversity of bioactive compounds produced by the Arctic bacterial isolates. The aim is to examine both the ecological role of secondary metabolites in inter-specific competition among soil bacteria and the possibility of exploiting novel Arctic strains for bioprospecting.

More information:
- Professor Max Häggblom
- Researcher Minna Männistö

Project leader: Varmola, Martti
The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Rovanniemi Office, PL 16, FI-96301 ROVANIEMI, FINLAND
Phone: +358 10 211 4410 Telefax: +358 10 211 2103
E-mail: martti.varmola@metla.fi

Other researchers: Männistö, Minna, RO (2008-11)

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Updated 24.05.2012
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