Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4957-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4957-2026
Research article
 | 
03 Sep 2026
Research article |  | 03 Sep 2026

Distinct phototrophic community structure on a Central Asian glacier: predominance of filamentous cyanobacteria and absence of glacier algae (Ancylonema spp.)

Yunjie Chen, Nozomu Takeuchi, Sota Tanaka, Saifei Li, Weizhen Zhang, Xingyu Huang, and Zhongqin Li

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Cited articles

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Anesio, A. M., Lutz, S., Chrismas, N. A., and Benning, L. G.: The microbiome of glaciers and ice sheets, npj Biofilms Microbi., 3, 10, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-017-0019-0, 2017. 
Bradley, J. A., Trivedi, C. B., Winkel, M., Mourot, R., Lutz, S., Larose, C., Keuschnig, C., Doting, E., Halbach, L., Zervas, A., and Anesio, A. M.: Active and dormant microorganisms on glacier surfaces, Geobiology, 21, 244–261, https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12535, 2023. 
Chen, Y., Takeuchi, N., Tanaka, S., and Li, Z.: Aggregation of mineral particles in cryoconite granules by multiple species of cyanobacteria on Urumqi Glacier No. 1, China, Front. Earth Sci., 13, 1596472, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2025.1596472, 2025. 
Cook, J., Edwards, A., Takeuchi, N., and Irvine-Fynn, T.: Cryoconite: the dark biological secret of the cryosphere, Prog. Phys. Geog., 40, 66–111, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133315616574, 2016. 
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Short summary
Photosynthetic microbes can darken snow and ice, accelerating glacier melt. While well studied in the Arctic, this process remains poorly understood in dust-rich Central Asian glaciers. We investigated microbial communities on a Tien Shan glacier across a melt season. Snow algae dominated early, but cyanobacteria prevailed once bare ice was exposed. Unlike the Arctic, typical glacier algae were absent, indicating a distinct ecosystem that may influence regional melting and water resources.
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