Masami Fukuda

Tomitella biformata gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the suborder Corynebacterineae isolated from a permafrost ice wedge.

Gram-reaction-positive, aerobic, non-spore-forming, irregular rod-shaped bacteria, designated AHU1821(T) and AHU1820, were isolated from an ice wedge in the Fox permafrost tunnel, Alaska. The strains were psychrophilic, growing at -5 to 27°C. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequences indicated that the ice-wedge isolates formed a clade distinct from other mycolic-acid-containing bacteria within the suborder Corynebacterineae. The cell wall of strains AHU1821(T) and AHU1820 contained meso-diaminopimelic acid, arabinose and galactose, indicating chemotype IV. The muramic acids in the peptidoglycan were glycolated. The predominant menaquinone was MK-9(H(2)). The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannosides and an unidentified glycolipid. The major fatty acids were hexadecenoic acid (C(16 : 1)), hexadecanoic acid (C(16 : 0)), octadecenoic acid (C(18 : 1)) and tetradecanoic acid (C(14 : 0)). Tuberculostearic acid was present in relatively small amounts (1 %). Strains AHU1821(T) and AHU1820 contained mycolic acids with 42-52 carbons. The DNA G+C content of the two strains was 69.3-71.6 mol% (T(m)). 16S rRNA, rpoB and recA gene sequences were identical between strains AHU1821(T) and AHU1820 and those of the gyrB gene showed 99.9 % similarity. Based on phylogenetic and phenotypic evidence, strains AHU1821(T) and AHU1820 represent a single novel species of a novel genus, for which the name Tomitella biformata gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Tomitella biformata is AHU1821(T) (=DSM 45403(T) =NBRC 106253(T)).

Glaciibacter superstes gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member of the family Microbacteriaceae isolated from a permafrost ice wedge

Gram-positive, aerobic, non-spore-forming, irregular rod-shaped bacteria, designated strains AHU1791(T) and AHU1810, were isolated from a permafrost ice wedge in Alaska. Cells were motile by means of a polar flagellum. The strains were psychrophilic, growing at -5 to 25 degrees C. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the ice-wedge isolates formed a clade distinct from other genera affiliated with the family Microbacteriaceae. The novel strains showed highest levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with members of the genera Agreia and Subtercola (95.6-95.9 %). The level of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strains AHU1791(T) and AHU1810 was 99.8 %. The cell-wall peptidoglycan type of the two strains was B2gamma, containing 2,4-diaminobutyric acid as the diagnostic amino acid. The predominant menaquinones were MK-12 and MK-13 (strain AHU1791(T)) and MK-11 and MK-12 (strain AHU1810). The major fatty acids of the two strains were 12-methyl tetradecanoic acid (anteiso-C(15 : 0)), 14-methyl hexadecanoic acid (anteiso-C(17 : 0)), 14-methyl pentadecanoic acid (iso-C(16 : 0)) and 13-methyl tetradecanoic acid (iso-C(15 : 0)). The DNA G+C contents of strains AHU1791(T) and AHU1810 were approximately 65 mol%. These phenotypic characteristics differentiated the ice-wedge strains from their closest phylogenetic neighbours, namely Subtercola boreus and the two recognized species of the genus Agreia. The sequences of the housekeeping genes coding for DNA gyrase subunit B (gyrB), RNA polymerase subunit B (rpoB) and recombinase A (recA) were almost identical between strains AHU1791(T) and AHU1810. Although the predominant menaquinones found in strains AHU1791(T) and AHU1810 were different, no other distinct differences were found with regard to other phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, indicating that the two strains were members of the same species. Accordingly, strains AHU1791(T) and AHU1810 are considered to represent a single novel species of a new genus, for which the name Glaciibacter superstes gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Glaciibacter superstes is AHU1791(T) (=DSM 21135(T) =NBRC 104264(T)).

Spectral vegetation indices for estimating shrub cover, green phytomass and leaf turnover in a sedge-shrub tundra

Using field observations, we determined the relationships between spectral indices and the shrub ratio, green phytomass and leaf turnover of a sedge-shrub tundra community in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA. We established a 50‐m × 50‐m plot (69.73°N 143.62°W) located on a floodplain of the refuge. The willow shrub (Salix lanata) and sedge (Carex bigelowii) dominated the plot vegetation. In July to August 2007, we established ten 0.5‐m × 0.5‐m quadrats on both shrub‐covered ground (shrub quadrats) and on ground with no shrubs (sedge quadrats). The shrub ratio was more strongly correlated with the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, R2 of 0.57) than the normalized difference infrared index (NDII), the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) or the enhanced vegetation index (EVI). On the other hand, for both green phytomass and leaf turnover, the strongest correlation was with NDII (R 2 of 0.63 and 0.79, respectively).