The arid soils of the Antarctic Dry Valleys constitute some of the oldest, coldest, driest and
most oligotrophic soils on Earth. Early studies suggested that the Dry Valley soils contained …

The Antarctica Dry Valleys are regarded as the coldest hyperarid desert system on Earth.
While a wide variety of environmental stressors including very low minimum temperatures …

Cultivation-independent molecular phylogenetic techniques are now widely employed to
examine environmental microbial diversity; however, the relationship between microbial …

Although Antarctica was once believed to be a sterile environment, it is now clear that the
microbial communities inhabiting the Antarctic continent are surprisingly diverse. Until the …

▪ Abstract The Antarctic continent harbors a range of specialized and sometimes highly
localized microbial biotopes. These include biotopes associated with desiccated mineral …

Recent applications of molecular genetics to edaphic microbial communities of the McMurdo
Dry Valleys and elsewhere have rejected a long-held belief that Antarctic soils contain …

Antarctic ecosystems are fascinating in their limited trophic complexity, with decomposition
and nutrient cycling functions being dominated by microbial activities. Not only are Antarctic …

Although soil‐borne bacteria represent the world's greatest source of biological diversity, it is
not well understood whether extreme environmental conditions, such as those found in …

Hypoliths (cryptic microbial assemblages that develop on the undersides of translucent
rocks) are significant contributors to regional C and N budgets in both hot and cold deserts …

Subglacial environments, particularly those that lie beneath polar ice sheets, are beginning
to be recognized as an important part of Earth's biosphere. However, except for indirect …