@article {4576, title = {Diatoms define a novel freshwater biogeography of the Antarctic}, journal = {Ecography}, volume = {44}, year = {2021}, month = {01/2021}, pages = {1-13}, abstract = {

Terrestrial biota in the Antarctic are more globally distinct and highly structured biogeographically than previously believed, but information on biogeographic patterns and endemism in freshwater communities is largely lacking. We studied biogeographic patterns of Antarctic freshwater diatoms based on the analysis of species occurrences in a dataset of 439 lakes spread across the Antarctic realm. Highly distinct diatom floras, both in terms of composition and richness, characterize Continental Antarctica, Maritime Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands, with marked biogeographic provincialism in each region. A total of 44\% of all species is estimated to be endemic to the Antarctic, and most of them are confined to a single biogeographic region. The level of endemism significantly increases with increasing latitude and geographic isolation. Our results have implications for conservation planning, and suggest that successful dispersal of freshwater diatoms to and within the Antarctic is limited, fostering the evolution of highly endemic diatom floras.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, biogeography, diatoms, endemism, freshwater, lake}, doi = {10.1111/ecog.05374}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecog.05374}, author = {Elie Verleyen and Bart Van de Vijver and Tytgat, Bjorn and Pinseel, Eveline and Hodgson, Dominic A. and Kopalov{\'a}, Kate{\v r}ina and Steven L. Chown and Van Ranst, Eric and Imura, Satoshi and Kudoh, Sakae and Van Nieuwenhuyze, Wim and Sabbe, Koen and Vyverman, Wim} } @article {4586, title = {Diatoms in hyporheic sediments trace organic matter retention and processing in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences}, volume = {126}, year = {2021}, month = {02/2021}, pages = {e2020JG006097}, abstract = {

In low-nutrient streams in cold and arid ecosystems, the spiraling of autochthonous particulate organic matter (POM) may provide important nutrient subsidies downstream. Because of its lability and the spatial heterogeneity of processing in hyporheic sediments, the downstream transport and fate of autochthonous POM can be difficult to trace. In Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valley (MDV) streams, any POM retained in the hyporheic zone is expected to be derived from surface microbial mats that contain diatoms with long-lasting silica frustules. We tested whether diatom frustules can be used to trace the retention of autochthonous POM in the hyporheic zone and whether certain geomorphic locations promote this process. The accumulation of diatom frustules in hyporheic sediments, measured as biogenic silica, was correlated with loss-on-ignition organic matter and sorbed ammonium, suggesting that diatoms can be used to identify locations where POM has been retained and processed over long timescales, regardless of whether the POM remains intact. In addition, by modeling the upstream sources of hyporheic diatom assemblages, we found that POM was predominantly derived from N-fixing microbial mats of the genus Nostoc. In terms of spatial variability, we conclude that the hyporheic sediments adjacent to the stream channel that are regularly inundated by daily flood pulses are where the most POM has been retained over long timescales. Autochthonous POM is retained in hyporheic zones of low-nutrient streams beyond the MDVs, and we suggest that biogenic silica and diatom composition can be used to identify locations where this transfer is most prevalent.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, benthic processes, biogenic silica, biogeochemical cycles processes and modeling, carbon cycling, diatoms, groundwater/surface water interactions, hyporheic zone, McMurdo Dry Valleys, nitrogen cycling, particulate organic matter}, doi = {10.1029/2020JG006097}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020JG006097}, author = {Heindel, Ruth C and Darling, Joshua P. and Singley, Joel G. and Bergstrom, Anna J. and Diane M. McKnight and Lukkari, Braeden M. and Kathleen A. Welch and Michael N. Gooseff} } @article {4107, title = {Spatial and temporal patterns of microbial mats and associated invertebrates along an Antarctic stream}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {41}, year = {2018}, month = {10/2018}, pages = {1911{\textendash}1921}, abstract = {

Microbial biofilms are biological hotspots in many alpine and polar ecosystems, but the controls on and functional significance of their fauna are little known. We studied cyanobacterial mats and the underlying sediment in a glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. We investigated mat biomass (total and phototrophic), diatoms, and micro-meiofauna (nematodes, rotifers, and tardigrades) at nine sites along a 1670 m stream reach in a cold, low-flow growing season, and in a warmer growing season in which peak flows (above 100 L s\−1) scoured the mats. Diatom and invertebrate communities were not related, but mat biomass in the low-flow year was negatively related to nematode abundance, including that of the omnivore\ Eudorylaimus. In the high-flow year that followed, invertebrate abundance was reduced in the mats, diatom community structure was altered, and mat biomass was higher. The difference in invertebrate abundance between years was greater in mats in upstream reaches, where the greatest increases in flow velocity may have occurred, and was negligible in mats in downstream reaches as well as in the sediment beneath the mats. Integrating our results with previous findings, we generate two predictive hypotheses to be tested in glacial meltwater streams: (1) under peak flows invertebrates decline in the microbial mats, while (2) the sediment beneath the mats is a refuge from the flow disturbance. Our results also suggest that, under stable flow conditions, microinvertebrate grazers could exert top-down control on microbial mat biomass.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, diatoms, Disturbance, Dry valleys, Epilithon, Microfauna, Stream flow}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-018-2331-4}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00300-018-2331-4}, author = {Andriuzzi, Walter S. and Lee F. Stanish and Breana L. Simmons and Chris Jaros and Byron Adams and Diana H. Wall and Diane M. McKnight} } @phdthesis {4095, title = {Ecological controls on stream diatom communities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2011}, school = {University of Colorado}, type = {doctoral}, address = {Boulder, CO}, abstract = {

Diatoms are vital primary producers in aquatic ecosystems and useful indicators of environmental change. In climatically sensitive polar areas, diatoms have been used as beacons of climate change, allowing us to monitor physical, chemical, and biological changes. This research aims to improve our understanding of diatom ecology in the pristine and dynamic McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, where diatoms reside in stream microbial mats. These results aid in understanding how changes in hydrologic regime will affect stream microbial communities, biodiversity, and ecosystem function in a changing environment.

Relationships between hydrologic regime and diatom community composition were investigated using long-term data. Diatom communities were structured by stream physical features, and streams with more similar hydrologic characteristics had more similar communities. Variation in diatom community composition was best explained by hydrologic regime. Small diatoms increased in relative abundances with increasing streamflow, suggesting a role of diatom size in structuring communities. Overall, diatom communities were resistant to flood and drought-like conditions, suggesting an adaptation to frequent disturbances.

The importance of hydrologic regime on drift activity was investigated during three 24- hour experiments. Diel variations in drift could be attributed to diurnal flow peaks. Biomass and diatom cell densities followed a clockwise pattern with stream discharge and support the dominant role of hydraulic processes. The quality of source material differed between seasons and throughout the day. Drifting diatom communities were dominated by\ Fistulifera pelliculosa, which is rarely found in stream mats and suggests a different source. Modeling results suggest that the less firmly anchored marginal mats contribute more to the drift than channel mats in low- flow seasons, while the channel mats become more important during high-flow seasons.

The relationships between diatom and bacterial assemblages in microbial mats were assessed based on phylogenetic and functional relatedness in five Dry Valley streams. Significant relationships between diatom and bacterial communities were found, and co-occurrence analysis identified numerous correlations between individual diatom and bacterial taxa. A consistency in metabolic lifestyles of correlated taxa suggests that the relationships are ecologically relevant. Diatom and bacterial diversity showed opposite patterns, which indicate differences in environmental drivers of diversity for bacteria and eukaryotes.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, biological sciences, community ecology, diatoms, earth sciences, McMurdo Dry Valleys, streams}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/docview/915694114?accountid=14503}, author = {Lee F. Stanish}, editor = {Diane M. McKnight} }