16S rRNA gene Amplicon sequencing of Antarctic hypoliths

The goal of the project was to document the heterogeneity of Antarctic hypolithic communities across small spatial scales (<5 m). Most studies on hypolithons assume that these communities are homogenous across small distances due to similar selective pressures, and the role of this project was to assess whether this assumption is true. The results from this project have shown that each hypolithon needs to be considered as a distinct community.