Cyanobacterial mats as objects of Antarctic ecosystem monitoring

Alexander Panin; Elena Bogumilchik; Andrey Sharov; Dmitrij Vlasov; Marina Zelenskaya; Alexey Tolstikov; Shamil Teshebaev; Galina Tseneva; Ludmila Kraeva; Victor Sboichakov; Vasily Bolehan

Authors

Alexander Panin Military Medical Academy named after S. M. Kirov, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Elena Bogumilchik Scientific Institute of epidemiology and microbiology named after Paster, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Andrey Sharov Saint-Petersburg Center of ecological Safety of RAN, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Dmitrij Vlasov Saint Petersburg State University, 7–9, Universitetskaya nab., Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0455-1462
Marina Zelenskaya Saint Petersburg State University, 7–9, Universitetskaya nab., Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation
Alexey Tolstikov Institute of North Water Problems of Karel Centre of RAN, Russian Federation
Shamil Teshebaev Centre of Polar Medicine of Arctic and Antarctic Institute, Russian Federation
Galina Tseneva Scientific Institute of epidemiology and microbiology named after Paster, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Ludmila Kraeva Scientific Institute of epidemiology and microbiology named after Paster, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Victor Sboichakov Military Medical Academy named after S. M. Kirov, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Vasily Bolehan Military Medical Academy named after S. M. Kirov, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation

Abstract

Cyanobacterial mats (CBM) in the territories of polar research stations and seasonal field bases of the Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE) were studied as indicators of human impact. It is shown that the number of detected CBM in the contaminated territories (from human and ornithogenic load) greatly exceeds the number in ecologically clean regions of the Antarctic, and the contamination of CBM by outside microbiota in disturbed ecosystems increases by 1,5–3 times. Detection of pathogenic strains of Yersinia enterocolitica as well as opportunistic pseudomonads and micromycetes in the CBM which are formed near the polar stations is the basis for the ecological and epidemiological monitoring in areas of human presence in Antarctica.