FEMS Microbiology Ecology presents a special issue on the ecology of microbes in cold climates, prepared in association with the Sixth International Conference on Polar and Alpine Microbiology that took place Septemeber 6-10, 2015 in ?eské Bud?jovice, Czech Republic. This thematic issue focuses on the microbial ecology of Earth's cryobiosphere. Microorganisms, representing all three domains of life, have successfully colonized these cold environments that span from the Arctic to the Antarctic, from high mountain-range environments to the deep ocean, and include permafrost soils, marine sediments, sea and glacial ice. There is thus considerable interest in understanding the adaptations and activities of these microorganisms, as well as the ecological interactions of communities active in these habitats. High altitude and high latitude regions on Earth are experiencing rapid changes in climate, with impacts on biogeochemical cycles and environmental change. Clearly, knowledge of the distribution, biodiversity and functional roles of microorganisms inhabiting polar and alpine environments is essential to our understanding of ecosystem processes in a changing climate. Enjoy free access to this special issue until 30th September 2016.
Editorial
Editorial: Polar and Alpine Microbiology—Earth's cryobiosphere
Josef Elster, Rosa Margesin, Dirk Wagner, Max Häggblom
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw221 First published online: 10 December 2016
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Current Opinion
Bridging the divide: a model-data approach to Polar and Alpine microbiology
James A. Bradley, Alexandre M. Anesio, Sandra Arndt
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw015 fiw015 First published online: 31 January 2016
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Research Articles
Cyanobacterial community composition in Arctic soil crusts at different stages of development
Ekaterina Pushkareva, Igor S. Pessi, Annick Wilmotte, Josef Elster
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiv143 fiv143 First published online: 11 November 2015
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The effects of entombment on water chemistry and bacterial assemblages in closed cryoconite holes on Antarctic glaciers
Jenny G. Webster-Brown, Ian Hawes, Anne D. Jungblut, Susanna A. Wood, Hannah K. Christenson
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiv144 fiv144 First published online: 15 November 2015
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Effect of altitude and season on microbial activity, abundance and community structure in Alpine forest soils
José A. Siles, Tomas Cajthaml, Stefano Minerbi, Rosa Margesin
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw008 fiw008 First published online: 18 January 2016
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Methane-cycling microorganisms in soils of a high-alpine altitudinal gradient
Katrin Hofmann, Harald Pauli, Nadine Praeg, Andreas O. Wagner, Paul Illmer
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw009 fiw009 First published online: 19 January 2016
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Abundance and potential metabolic activity of methanogens in well-aerated forest and grassland soils of an alpine region
Katrin Hofmann, Nadine Praeg, Mira Mutschlechner, Andreas O. Wagner, Paul Illmer
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiv171 fiv171 First published online: 27 December 2015
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Microbial diversity in European alpine permafrost and active layers
Beat Frey, Thomas Rime, Marcia Phillips, Beat Stierli, Irka Hajdas, Franco Widmer, Martin Hartmann
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw018 fiw018 First published online: 31 January 2016
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Ecophysiology, secondary pigments and ultrastructure of Chlainomonas sp. (Chlorophyta) from the European Alps compared with Chlamydomonas nivalis forming red snow
Daniel Remias, Martina Pichrtová, Marion Pangratz, Cornelius Lütz, Andreas Holzinger
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw030 fiw030 First published online: 15 February 2016
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Salinity drives archaeal distribution patterns in high altitude lake sediments on the Tibetan Plateau
Yongqin Liu, John C. Priscu, Jinbo Xiong, Ralf Conrad, Trista Vick-Majors, Haiyan Chu, Juzhi Hou
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw033 fiw033 First published online: 16 February 2016
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The genome of the Antarctic polyextremophile Nesterenkonia sp. AN1 reveals adaptive strategies for survival under multiple stress conditions
Habibu Aliyu, Pieter De Maayer, Don Cowan
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw032 fiw032 First published online: 15 February 2016
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Diversity of the nitrogen starvation responses in subarctic Desmodesmus sp. (Chlorophyceae) strains isolated from symbioses with invertebrates
Olga Baulina, Olga Gorelova, Alexei Solovchenko, Olga Chivkunova, Larisa Semenova, Irina Selyakh, Pavel Scherbakov, Olga Burakova, Elena Lobakova
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw031 fiw031 First published online: 15 February 2016
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Diversity and dispersal capacities of a terrestrial algal genus Klebsormidium (Streptophyta) in polar regions
David Ryšánek, Josef Elster, Lubomír Ková?ik, Pavel Škaloud
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fnw039 fnw039 First published online: 22 February 2016
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The effect of temperature change on the microbial diversity and community structure along the chronosequence of the sub-arctic glacier forefield of Styggedalsbreen (Norway)
Alejandro Mateos-Rivera, Jacob C. Yde, Bryan Wilson, Kai W. Finster, Laila J. Reigstad, Lise Øvreås
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fnw038 fnw038 First published online: 21 February 2016
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Identification of miniature plasmids in psychrophilic Arctic bacteria of the genus Variovorax
Anna Ciok, Lukasz Dziewit, Jakub Grzesiak, Karol Budzik, Dorota Gorniak, Marek K. Zdanowski, Dariusz Bartosik
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw043 fiw043 First published online: 24 February 2016
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Nutrient treatments alter microbial mat colonization in two glacial meltwater streams from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Tyler J. Kohler, David J. Van Horn, Joshua P. Darling, Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach, Diane M. McKnight
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw049 fiw049 First published online: 2 March 2016
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Characterization of bacterial communities in lithobionts and soil niches from Victoria Valley, Antarctica
Marc W. Van Goethem, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Angel Valverde, Stephen C. Cary, Don A. Cowan
DOI: http:dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw051 fiw051 First published online: 4 March 2016
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Evidence for marine origin and microbial-viral habitability of sub-zero hypersaline aqueous inclusions within permafrost near Barrow, Alaska
J. Colangelo-Lillis, H. Eicken, S. D. Carpenter, J. W. Deming
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw053 fiw053 First published online: 13 March 2016
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Bacterial and eukaryotic biodiversity patterns in terrestrial and aquatic habitats in the Sør Rondane Mountains, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica
Dagmar Obbels, Elie Verleyen, Marie-José Mano, Zorigto Namsaraev, Maxime Sweetlove, Bjorn Tytgat, Rafael Fernandez-Carazo, Aaike De Wever, Sofie D'hondt, Damien Ertz, Josef Elster, Koen Sabbe, Anne Willems, Annick Wilmotte, Wim Vyverman
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw041 fiw041 First published online: 2 March 2016
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Bacterial community composition in relation to bedrock type and macrobiota in soils from the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica
Bjorn Tytgat, Elie Verleyen, Maxime Sweetlove, Sofie D'hondt, Pia Clercx, Eric Van Ranst, Karolien Peeters, Stephen Roberts, Zorigto Namsaraev, Annick Wilmotte, Wim Vyerman, Anne Willems
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw126 fiw126 First published online: 10 July 2016
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Archaeal communities of Arctic methane-containing permafrost
Victoria Shcherbakova, Yoshitaka Yoshimura, Yana Ryzhmanova, Yukihiro Taguchi, Takahiro Segawa, Victoria Oshurkova, Elizaveta Rivkina
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiw135 fiw135 First published online: 15 June 2016
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