Arctic soils

Master EM, WW Mohn (1998) Psychrotolerant bacteria isolated from arctic soil that degrade polychlorinated biphenyls at low temperatnres. Appl Environ Microbiol 64 4823-4829. 

Braddock JE, ML Ruth, PH Catterall, JL Walworth, KA McCarthy (1997) Enhancement and inhibition of microbial activity in hydrocarbon-contaminated arctic soils implications for nutrient-amended bioremediation. Environ Sci Technol 31 2078-2084. 

The edaphic microflora is diversified, and the microbial community is more numerous than that of the arctic soils. The bacterial population varies from 0.5 x 106 to 3.5 x 106 specimens per gram in topsoil horizon. 

Oelke, G, Zhang,T., and Serreze, M. C. (2004). Modelling evidence for recent warming of the Arctic soil thermal regime. Geophys. Res. Lett. 31,1-4. 

Schmidt, I. K., Jonasson, S., and Michelsen, A. (1999). Minerahzation and microbial immobilization of N and P in arctic soils in relation to season, temperature and nutrient amendment. Appl. Soil Ecol. 11,147-160. 

Dawson, H. J., Hrutfiord, B. F. Ugolini, F. C. (1984). Mobility of lichen compounds from Cladonia mitis in arctic soils. Soil Science, 138, 40-5. 

Dai, X. Y., White, D., and Ping, C. L., Comparing bioavailability in five Arctic soils by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis, 62, 249-258, 2002. 

Development of meltwater streams and lakes, formation of arctic soil impregnated with salts, and establishment of colonial algae, lichens, moss, and nematodes in the ice-free valleys... 

Thomassin-Lacroix EJM, Yu ZT, Eriksson M, Remer KJ, Mohn WW (2001) DNA-based and culture-based characterization of a hydrocarbon-degrading consortium enriched from Arctic soil. Canadian J Microbiol 47 1107-1115... 

This introduction serves as prima facia evidence for probability of extracellular chitinase(s)operating in complex marine systems. The pure crystalline chitin of diatoms and the complexed chitin of arthropod exoskeletons and other animals are available for extracellular digestion by organisms diverse as bacteria, oysters, and fish, but yet there is no report of extant extracellular chitinase in water or in sediment. The only existing report this author is aware of, regarding extant chitinase environmental activities is relative to the arctic soil mycorhizzosphere (Linkins and Neal, 1982). 

Bunting, B.T. 1983. High Arctic soils through the microscope Prospect and Retrospect. Annals Amer. Assoc. Geographers, 73,4 609-616. 

Finally, we may mention an interesting investigation of Arctic soils from Banks Island in northern Canada by Tedrow and Douglas [1963], in which they found montmorillonite. 

Rinnan, R. and Rinnan, A. (2007). Application of near infrared reflectance (NIR) and fluorescence spectroscopy to analysis of microbiological and chemical properties of arctic soil. Soil Biol. Biochem., 39,1664-1673. 

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