TY  - JOUR
AU  - Al-Thani, Roda F. 
PY  - 2014
TI  - HYPOLITHIC CYANOBACTERIA COLONIZATION OF QUARTZ AT SOUTH DESERT
JF  - OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences
VL  - 14
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.3844/ojbsci.2014.57.63
UR  - https://thescipub.com/abstract/ojbsci.2014.57.63
AB  - Hypolithic microbial communities (found underneath rocks) were encountered in the southern desert of Qatar where quartz rocks are ubiquitous and are a substrate for hypoliths. These hypoliths thrive where extreme temperature, moisture stress and high light intensity limit the occurrence of higher plants and animal life. A small-scale ecological survey indicated that 80% of the quartz rocks in the area were colonized by green hypolithic microbial communities dominated by colonization of cyanobacteria. Using light and electron microscopic analyses; the cyanobacterial community structure of hypoliths was shown to be dominated by cyanobacteria affiliated to the genera Chroococcidiopsis, Aphanothece, Pleurocapsa, Oscillatoria, Lyngbya, Leptolyngbya, Phormidium and Scytonema).