Microbial communities of the disappearing periglacial environment on top of Mount Kilimanjaro

There is currently no information available on microbial assemblages at high elevation on the African continent, in particular on the climate sensitive glaciers and periglacial soils of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Its high elevation and isolation from any other mountain range makes it an ideal site to advance our knowledge on microbial endemicity and biogeographic patterns. It also is of interest as an analogue of early Mars due to extreme conditions such as high UV radiation, extreme thermal fluctuations and low water and nutrients availability. Our investigation represents the first culture-independent study of these unique environments and has revealed a diverse and rich assemblage of bacterial and eukaryotic communities in both soil and ice. The unexpected high diversity of microbial communities on Mt. Kilimanjaro points to the importance of further studying this outpost of the cryosphere before the snows of Mt. Kilimanjaro disappear forever, predicted to happen in the next 30 years.