Prokaryotic community associated with penguin rookeries in Antarctic soils

Penguins transfer a significant amount of nutrients from the marine ecosystem to the terrestrial ecosystem. Their depositions (i.e., guano) strongly influence the soil physico-chemical properties to form ornithogenic soil that is rich in nitrogen (N), carbon (C), and phosphorus (P). Moreover, penguin guano may also affect soil prokaryotic communities and functionality, however, knowledge on this is limited and calls for new scientific surveys. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a penguin rookery, and local soil chemical properties, on the Antarctic soil prokaryotic community and potential functionality along a 1200m transect.