From acidophilic to ornithogenic: microbial community dynamics in moss banks altered by gentoo penguins.

Introduction: The study explores the indirect impact of climate change driven by gentoo's penguin colonization pressure on the microbial communities of moss banks formed by Tall moss turf subformation in central maritime Antarctica.

Methods: Microbial communities and chemical composition of the differently affected moss banks (Unaffected, Impacted and Desolated) located on Galindez Island and Сape Tuxen on the mainland of Kyiv Peninsula were analyzed.

Results: The native microbiota of the moss banks' peat was analyzed for the first time, revealing a predominant presence of Acidobacteria (32.