Abstract: The Fildes Peninsula region is rich in diverse microorganisms, which play important ecological roles in local biogenic element cycling and energy flow, and are potential and novel resources for microorganisms. In this study, bacteria from soils, penguin ornithogenic soils and intertidal sediments collected in the Antarctic Fildes Peninsula region were isolated using traditional cultivation techniques, and then classified based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A total of 408 bacterial strains were isolated, falling into four bacterial phyla and 51 genera; of these, eight bacterial strains were potential novel species. Differences in the composition of the dominant bacterial groups were observed among soils, penguin ornithogenic soils and intertidal sediments. Actinobacteria dominated in soils, whereas Bacteroidetes was predominant in intertidal sediments. Compared with Luria-Bertani (LB) and Yeast extract-Peptone-Glycerol (YPG) media, higher diversity was observed in cultivated bacteria isolated from terrestrial samples based on the oligotrophic Reasoner’s 2A (R2A) medium. The results of this study improve our understanding of bacterial diversity in the Antarctic and provide more materials for scientific research.

Key words: Culturable bacteria, Diversity, Novel species, Fildes Peninsula Region, Ardley Island, Antarctic