TitleIntroductionAbstractIce-free soils might represent a very small proportion of the total land area of the Antarctic continent, but they harbour substantial and diverse microbial populations. Only since the advent of modern molecular phylogenetic methods has the true complexity of Antarctic soil microbiology been apparent. With this discovery has come a series of Å•evelations:Ì Antarctic soil communities are highly structured and physiologically complex, they are important functional components of the different soil systems and they are surprisingly responsive to external variables. There is still, however, much to learn. Many of the phylotypes identified in Antarctic soils belong to the category úncultured,Ì so their true roles remain, at best, hypothetical. Virtually nothing is known of the role of some elements of the trophic hierarchy, particularly viruses and phages. Studies of in situ physiologies, process rates and responsiveness to microenvironmental variables are scant. On a macroecological scale, the effects of climate change on microbial community structure and function is largely unknown. That Antarctic soil microbial ecology will remain an exciting focus for research is undeniable. The perception of Ãntarctica as the last pristine continent,Ì the extreme nature of the Antarctic soil habitat, the use of the system as a model for molecular and cellular adaptation, and the growing awareness of Antarctic soil microbes as a unique genetic resource together provide a very strong incentive for continued research development. â"' 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. All rights reserved.AcknowledgementsTry later.
