Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Metagenomic And Metatranscriptomic Analyses Of Lake Vostok Accretion Ice

Shtarkman, Yury M
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1438867879

Abstract Details

2015, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Biological Sciences.
Abstract: Lake Vostok (Antarctica) is the 4th deepest lake on Earth, the 6th largest by volume, and 16th largest by area, being similar in area to Ladoga Lake (Russia) and Lake Ontario (North America). However, it is a subglacial lake, constantly covered by more than 3,800 m of glacial ice, and has been covered for at least 15 million years. As the glacier slowly traverses the lake, water from the lake freezes (i.e., accretes) to the bottom of the glacier, such that on the far side of the lake a 230 m thick layer of accretion ice collects. This essentially samples various parts of the lake surface water as the glacier moves across the lake. As the glacier enters the lake, it passes over a shallow embayment. The embayment accretion ice is characterized by its silty inclusions and relatively high concentrations of several ions. It then passes over a peninsula (or island) and into the main basin. The main basin accretion ice is clear with almost no inclusions and low ion content. Metagenomic/metatranscriptomic analysis has been performed on two accretion ice samples; one from the shallow embayment and the other from part of the main lake basin. Ice from the shallow embayment contains a variety of Bacteria as well as a few Archaea and several types of Eukarya. Most are related to species that are psychrophilic, marine, aquatic, or live in lake/ocean sediments, or a combination of these. However, sequences identified as originating from many different thermophiles were found, suggesting the presence of hydrothermal activity in the lake. In contrast to the embayment ice, the ice from the main basin yielded only about 5-6% of the number of sequences. Here again, molecular signatures of psychrophiles, marine, aquatic, a few sediment-dwelling organisms, and a few thermophiles were found. Because of the extreme conditions, it has been hypothesized that Lake Vostok is sterile, or that very few types of organisms inhabit the lake. Our results indicate that it contains a diverse set of organisms, and the number and taxonomic composition varies with position in the lake.
Scott O. Rogers, Dr. (Advisor)
Paul F. Morris, Dr. (Committee Member)
Vipaporn Phuntumart, Dr. (Committee Member)
Robert Michael McKay, Dr. (Committee Member)
Rober W. Midden, Dr. (Other)
265 p.
Bioinformatics; Biology; Ecology; Limnology; Molecular Biology
Lake Vostok; subglacial lake; Antarctica; accretion ice; metagenomic; metatranscriptomic; 454 pyrosequencing; Bacteria; Eukarya; Archaea

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Shtarkman, Y. M. (2015). Metagenomic And Metatranscriptomic Analyses Of Lake Vostok Accretion Ice [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1438867879

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Shtarkman, Yury. Metagenomic And Metatranscriptomic Analyses Of Lake Vostok Accretion Ice. 2015. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1438867879.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Shtarkman, Yury. "Metagenomic And Metatranscriptomic Analyses Of Lake Vostok Accretion Ice." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1438867879

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1438867879
2,187
© 2015, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.