Diversity and characterization of mercury-resistant bacteria in snow, freshwater and sea-ice brine from the High Arctic

• Published in: FEMS microbiology ecology Vol. 75; no. 3; pp. 390 - 401
• Main Authors: Møller, Annette K, Barkay, Tamar, Al-Soud, Waleed Abu, Sørensen, Søren J, Skov, Henrik, Kroer, Niels
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2011; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Actinobacteria; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Arctic bacteria; Arctic region; Arctic Regions; atmospheric deposition; Bacteria; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - drug effects; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - growth & development; Bacteria - metabolism; bacterial mercury reduction; Bacteriodetes; Bacteriology; Biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Brines; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Ecology; Firmicutes; food chain; Fresh water; Fresh Water - microbiology; freshwater; Freshwater ice; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gamma-Proteobacteria; Ice Cover - microbiology; latitude; Marine; Mercury; Mercury - metabolism; Mercury - pharmacology; mercury concentration; mercury resistance; methylation; Methylmercury; methylmercury compounds; Microbial ecology; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Molecular Sequence Data; Oxidation-Reduction; phylogeny; risk; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Sea ice; Snow; Snow - microbiology; temperature; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Pollutants, Chemical - pharmacology; Arctic Region; Arctic Regions; Arctic region; PN, Arctic; mercury concentration; bacterial mercury reduction; mercury resistance; Arctic bacteria; Snow; Diversity; Fresh water; Brine; Environmental factor; Climatic zone; Heavy metal; Infection; Characterization; Freshwater environment; Resistance; Aquatic environment; Pollutant; Sensitivity resistance; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Polar region; Atmospheric precipitation; Mercury; Sea ice

It is well-established that atmospheric deposition transports mercury from lower latitudes to the Arctic. The role of bacteria in the dynamics of the deposited mercury, however, is unknown. We characterized mercury-resistant bacteria from High Arctic snow, freshwater and sea-ice brine. Bacterial den...