Artificial snowmaking is increasingly being relied upon by ski resorts worldwide, including in Kosciuszko National Park, Australia. In Kosciuszko, artificial snowmaking uses a commercial product, Snomax®, derived from ice-nucleating Pseudomonas syringae, a plant pathogen, known to cause a wide range of plant diseases. However, very little is known about how the application of Snomax® affects alpine ecosystems, a question of high importance given that these environments are also under pressure from other factors, such as climate change.
We surveyed soil and phyllosphere microbiomes at locations affected by artificial snowmaking within Thredbo resort and at matched elevation sites outside of the resort across two years. Australian alpine microbiomes, which have rarely been studied to date, were found to contain many novel taxa. For example, Eucalyptus niphiphila (snowgum) leaf surfaces showed high levels of unusual cyanobacteria. It was also noted that soils within the resort were much more likely to contain P. syringae than soils outside the resort. To support and validate findings from environmental surveys, we also conducted a manipulative glasshouse experiment to investigate the potential for short-term Snomax® exposure to affect E. niphophila phyllosphere, rhizosphere and soil microbiomes.
Despite their ecological significance, the microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning of Australian alpine regions remain largely unexplored. This study aims to provide fundamental information on Australian Alpine microbiomes and insight into anthropogenic influences on these important ecosystems that are increasingly being subjected to environmental stressors.