The Australian Collection of Antarctic Microorganisms

The Australian Collection of Antarctic Microorganisms (ACAM) was established in 1986 at the University of Tasmania as a collection for microorganisms from the Antarctic continent as well as from subantarctic islands and the Southern Ocean. ACAM is one of the few collections in the world dedicated to the collection of Antarctic bacteria and since its inception has grown to nearly 400 strains. Many of these strains have been isolated from lakes and marine waters in the Vestfold Hills region of Antarctica near Davis Station. Salinity, redox potential, light and temperature all vary dramatically between these water bodies and, on many occasions, have been shown to vary with water depth within them. Microorganisms living in these ecosystems cope with a variety of physical extremes which characterise the Antarctic environment. The potential for biotechnological use of Antarctic microorganisms has become more evident from basic studies on the taxonomy and molecular biology of antarctic microbes. Recently, bacteria have been isolated that (i) contain polyunsaturated w-3 fatty acids, (ii) degrade hydrocarbons (including polycyclic aromatics) and (iii) produce bioactive natural products. ACAM is a continually expanding collection. The search for Antarctic microorganisms that may be commercially exploited has only just begun. Future research should identify novel strains that offer further potential for biotechnology and, at the same time, provide a better understanding of the Antarctic ecosystem.ACAM is now available through the Australian Antarctic Data Centre's Biodiversity database, or via the ACAM website.This work was completed as part of ASAC project 65 (ASAC_65).

澳大利亚南极微生物保藏中心（Australian Collection of Antarctic Microorganisms, ACAM）于1986年在塔斯马尼亚大学成立，旨在保藏来自南极大陆、亚南极岛屿以及南大洋的微生物。ACAM是全球少数专门保藏南极细菌的菌种保藏机构之一，自成立以来其菌株数量已增长至近400株。其中多数菌株分离自南极戴维斯站（Davis Station）附近的维斯特福尔德丘陵（Vestfold Hills）区域的湖泊与海洋水体。这些水体的盐度、氧化还原电位（redox potential）、光照强度与温度均存在显著差异，且在多数情况下会随水体深度发生变化。栖息于这类生态系统中的微生物需要应对南极环境特有的多种极端物理条件。通过对南极微生物分类学与分子生物学的基础研究，其生物技术应用潜力日益凸显。近期已分离得到三类细菌：其一含有多不饱和ω-3脂肪酸，其二可降解烃类物质（包括多环芳烃），其三可产生活性天然产物。ACAM仍在持续扩充其保藏菌株库，可用于商业开发的南极微生物资源挖掘工作才刚刚起步。未来的研究不仅将发掘出具备更多生物技术应用潜力的新型菌株，同时也将助力我们更深入地理解南极生态系统。目前，ACAM可通过澳大利亚南极数据中心（Australian Antarctic Data Centre）的生物多样性数据库，或ACAM官方网站获取相关资源。本研究作为南极科学咨询委员会（Antarctic Science Advisory Committee, ASAC）项目65（ASAC_65）的一部分完成。