Earth’s Cryosphere, 2010, No. 2, p. 69-78

VIABLE PROTISTS IN ARCTIC PERMAFROST

A.V. Shatilovich, L.A. Shmakova, S.V. Gubin, D.A. Gilichinsky

Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, RAS, 142290, Moscow region, Pushchino, Institutskaya str., 2, Russia, nastya.shat@rambler.ru

Viable soil protists (naked amoebae, heterotrophic flagellates, ciliates and heliozoa) have been isolated from the late Pleistocene and Holocene permafrost of eastern Arctic coastal lowlands. In the Icy Complex viable protists were found in 20 % of samples. Occurrence of viable protists was considerably higher in the buried soils (80 %) and fossil burrows (100 %). Fifty four strains of protists from different taxonomical group were found. The paper discussed the strategy of cryopreservation of protists for a geologically long-term period in permafrost.

Key words: Arctic, permafrost, protists, cryptobiosis.

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