Diversity of bacterial communities in High Arctic snow and freshwater as revealed by pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes

The goal of this study was to explore questions about the bacterial diversity in different snow layers and an ice-covered freshwater lake in the High Arctic. Bacterial community structures in High Arctic snow and an ice covered freshwater lake were examined by pyrosequencing of 16S rDNA. The phylogenetic composition of the microbial assemblages differed among snow layers and between snow and freshwater. The highest diversity was seen in snow.