IMIS

Samples were collected along a spatially explicit sampling design comprised of three 300-m-long transects, separated by 2-m distances from each other. Samples were sieved down to 63 μm, aliquoted into 5–25-g subsamples, and stored at −80 °C until analysis.
Study Extent: Samples were taken at the ice free Robinson Ridge (−66.367739, 110.585262), located 10 km south of Casey station in the Windmill Islands coast of Wilkes Land, is part of a pristine polar desert. Three surface soil samples (100 g) from the top 10 cm of the soil profile were collected in December 2005.
Method step description:

1. Total community DNA was extracted from 0.25–0.3 g of each sample in technical triplicate using the FastDNA SPIN Kit for Soil (MP Biomedicals). All DNA extracts were quantified and DNA lysate quality was evaluated using automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA).
2. Metagenome libraries were prepared using the Nextera DNA Library Preparation Kit (Illumina) and sequenced using three-fifths of an Illumina HiSeq2000 flowcell lane at the Institute for Molecular Biosciences (University of Queensland).