Glass slides were deployed at 12m and 18m3 at sites in McMurdo Sound (adjacent to McMurdo Station, Scott Base and Cape Armitage) for a period of 12 months to collect biofilm.
18S rDNA sequence information was obtained for representatives of each DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) band at each site and depth. This data was interrogated to phyla level: cnidaria, bryozoa, protozoa, dinoflagellates, arthropods, platyhelminths and annelids were present.
Density of diatoms observed by fluorescence microscopy for each site and depth were recorded (per 100 µm2). At least 6 different diatom morphotypes were identified based on size and morphology.
The slides were also examined by performing fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) reactions with bacteria-specific probes (Eub338), an archaea-specific probe (ARCH915) and 9 different bacterial group-specific probes.
Bacterial groups identified from the sequences were: Gammaproteobacteria, SRB, Planctomycetales, Alphaproteobacteria, Archaea, Betaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, Cytophaga /Flavobacteria of Bacteroidetes (CFB), Verrucomicrobia.
This study was the first to examine eukaryotic recruitment, potentially overlooked in visual surveys, using molecular techniques.
