| The dry valleys in Antarctica are home to a number of meltwater ponds that host large communities of bacteria. Bacteria are increasingly recognized as the drivers of many fundamental ecosystem processes in extreme environmentsand thus can be analyzed to provide an understanding on how Antarctic aquatic systems function and are likely to change over time. Acollection of aquatic sitesfrom the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarcticawereexploredin order to characterize the bacterial populations and further,the diversity within and between different sites. Ion concentration of each site was measured and explored in relation to the bacterial community composition. Detailed descriptionsof the bacterial communities showed diversity both within and between sites, however the community relationship with ion concentration is yet to be evidentially distinguished. This study providesa good insight into bacterial communities in Antarctica, however further and regular sampling is necessary to better study this environment.Phylogenetic Diversity and Abundance in Bacterial Communities in Meltwater Ponds from the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica.Thesis Abstract –Idaho State University 2019KeyWords: McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Meltwater ponds, Bacterial Diversity |