Ladakh Case Study

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Abstract: Ladakh is a high-elevation cold desert, which makes it an extraordinary extreme environment. It provides a suitable habitat some wildly adapted microbes. Due to the high elevation a person can experience freezing cold temperatures and the burning nuisance of the sun all the same time. There is an abundance of cold adapted microbes in Ladakh, some which are thought to have application as inoculants and biocontrol agents in crops not only growing at low temperatures but at high elevation as well. The remote mountains of Ladakh that are situated in the rain shadow of the Great Himalayas provide a harsh environment that includes, strong winds, high UV radiation, diurnal temperature fluctuations and sparse vegetation. These conditions favor the extensive development of biological soil crusts as well as increase the importance of the cyanobacterial community. Aside from extremely cold temperature and high elevation, there is also an abundance of hot springs in Ladakh. These hot springs provide an incredible opportunity for scientists to examine microbial diversity not only at high temperatures but at high elevation as well. Ladakh is found in the northeast of India in the Indus valley basin. It is an administrtive …show more content…

The sites were the South West region of the Tibetan Plateau and the Eastern Karakoram. Between both sites the phylogenetic diversity and composition of morphotypes was similar. The harsh environment of these Ladakh dry mountains contribute to the extensive development of biological soil crusts. These biological soil crusts carry out very important processes in the development of soil, plant colonization, and biogeochemical cycling in extreme environmental areas. The study of these results were similar to those found in the previous study which determined phylogenetic diversity of soil

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