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Microbial communities in the Hudson Strait amidst rapid environmental change
Samantha J T Loutet1, Alia Sanger1, Kallie Strong2
1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, 3450 University St., Montréal, QC H3A 0E8, Canada.
Canadian Journal of Microbiology
|January 23, 2025
Summary
Arctic climate change impacts marine microbes. Salinity and temperature shifts in Hudson Strait favor specific bacterial groups like Polaribacter, influencing future microbial community composition.
Area of Science:
- Marine microbiology
- Arctic oceanography
- Climate change impacts
Background:
- Arctic marine ecosystems are rapidly changing due to climate change, with accelerated sea ice melt and warming waters.
- Hudson Bay is experiencing the fastest sea ice loss in the Canadian North, leading to longer open water seasons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of environmental factors on microbial communities in the Hudson Strait during a period of minimal sea ice cover.
- To understand how salinity and temperature influence the taxonomic composition and diversity of surface water microbes.
Main Methods:
- High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing was employed to analyze microbial communities.
- Samples were collected during the summer peak when the bay was nearly ice-free and air temperatures were high.
Main Results:
- Salinity and temperature were found to be significant drivers of microbial taxonomic composition across different sites.
- A higher abundance of specific *Polaribacter* species (Amplicon Sequence Variants) was observed at more saline sampling locations.
- Microbial diversity, measured by Shannon diversity, was not significantly affected by variations in salinity or temperature.
Conclusions:
- Environmental factors like salinity and temperature play a crucial role in shaping microbial communities in the Hudson Strait.
- The findings suggest that future changes in salinity and temperature may lead to a prevalence of certain microbial populations, impacting Arctic marine ecosystem dynamics.
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