@article {5005, title = {Atmospheric rivers in Antarctica}, journal = {Nature Reviews Earth \& Environment}, year = {2025}, month = {02/2025}, abstract = {

Antarctic atmospheric rivers (ARs) are a form of extreme weather that transport heat and moisture from the Southern Hemisphere subtropics and/or mid-latitudes to the Antarctic continent. Present-day AR events generally have a positive influence on the Antarctic ice-sheet mass balance by producing heavy snowfall, yet they also cause melt of sea ice and coastal ice sheet areas, as well as ice shelf destabilization. In this Review, we explore the atmospheric dynamics and impacts of Antarctic ARs over their life cycle to better understand their net contributions to ice-sheet mass balance. ARs occur in high-amplitude pressure couplets, and those strong enough to reach the Antarctic are often formed within Rossby waves initiated by tropical convection. Antarctic ARs are rare events (~3 days per year per location) but have been responsible for 50\–70\% of extreme snowfall events in East Antarctica since the 1980s. However, they can also trigger extensive surface melting events, such as the final ice shelf collapse of Larsen A in 1995 and Larsen B in 2002. Climate change will likely cause stronger ARs as anthropogenic warming increases atmospheric water vapour. Future research must determine how these climate change impacts will alter the relationship among Antarctic ARs, net ice-sheet mass balance and future sea-level rise.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/s43017-024-00638-7}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-024-00638-7}, author = {Wille, Jonathan D. and Favier, Vincent and Gorodetskaya, Irina V. and Agosta, C{\'e}cile and Baiman, Rebecca and John E. Barrett and Barthelemy, L{\'e}onard and Boza, Burcu and Bozkurt, Deniz and Casado, Mathieu and Chyhareva, Anastasiia and Clem, Kyle R. and Codron, Francis and Datta, Rajashree Tri and Dur{\'a}n-Alarc{\'o}n, Claudio and Francis, Diana and Hoffman, Andrew O. and Kolbe, Marlen and Krakovska, Svitlana and Linscott, Gabrielle and Maclennan, Michelle L. and Mattingly, Kyle S. and Mu, Ye and Pohl, Benjamin and Leroy-Dos Santos, Christophe and Shields, Christine A. and Toker, Emir and Winters, Andrew C. and Yin, Ziqi and Zou, Xun and Zhang, Chen and Zhang, Zhenhai} } @article {5016, title = {Inference from eDNA-based field distributions vs laboratory analysis of isolated strains: Physiological performance of non-marine Antarctic biota}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {48}, year = {2025}, month = {03/2025}, pages = {36}, abstract = {

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is frequently used to infer distributions of microorganisms in Antarctica. Their distributions relative to environmental variables are, in turn, sometimes used to infer their physiological range (and a relationship between the two is generally assumed for conservation purposes). We sought to determine whether ecological inferences based on distributions accurately reflect tolerances of the organisms concerned, using 249 legacy non-marine samples from a latitudinal gradient between 72 and 86\°S, Antarctica. A cyanobacterium, a heterotrophic bacterium, two eukaryotic algae, two fungi, and a moss were isolated into culture, and their field distributions inferred using eDNA analysis of the samples above. Tolerances of each organism with respect to environmental predictors were then inferred from the eDNA distribution and metadata using Generalised Additive Models. We then measured growth of the cultured isolates in response to a set of these predictors. Laboratory responses were then compared to inferences from the eDNA/metadata. Predictions from eDNA/metadata agreed with the results of physiological laboratory experiments for strains that were detected at high taxonomic resolution in the field samples. However, errors were never completely eliminated, and direct contradictions occurred when strains were represented at lower taxonomic resolution in the field data. We found that accurate ecological inference from eDNA studies would be best achieved via maximising both taxonomic resolution (through marker choice/read length) and ecological signal (through careful sampling design and rigorous metadata collection).

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctic, distribution, eDNA, inference, microbial biodiversity, physiology}, issn = {0722-4060}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-025-03356-y}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-025-03356-y}, author = {Novis, Phil M. and Monks, Adrian and Hunt, John E. and Adams, Byron J. and Dhami, Manpreet K. and Kim, Ji Hee and Mitchell, Caroline and Morgan, Fraser and Ian Hawes and Aislabie, J and P. Broady} } @article {5022, title = {One-hundred fundamental, open questions to integrate methodological approaches in lake ice research}, journal = {Water Resources Research}, volume = {61}, year = {2025}, month = {05/2025}, pages = {e2024WR039042}, abstract = {

The rate of technological innovation within aquatic sciences outpaces the collective ability of individual scientists within the field to make appropriate use of those technologies. The process of in situ lake sampling remains the primary choice to comprehensively understand an aquatic ecosystem at local scales; however, the impact of climate change on lakes necessitates the rapid advancement of understanding and the incorporation of lakes on both landscape and global scales. Three fields driving innovation within winter limnology that we address here are autonomous real-time in situ monitoring, remote sensing, and modeling. The recent progress in low-power in situ sensing and data telemetry allows continuous tracing of under-ice processes in selected lakes as well as the development of global lake observational networks. Remote sensing offers consistent monitoring of numerous systems, allowing limnologists to ask certain questions across large scales. Models are advancing and historically come in different types (process-based or statistical data-driven), with the recent technological advancements and integration of machine learning and hybrid process-based/statistical models. Lake ice modeling enhances our understanding of lake dynamics and allows for projections under future climate warming scenarios. To encourage the merging of technological innovation within limnological research of the less-studied winter period, we have accumulated both essential details on the history and uses of contemporary sampling, remote sensing, and modeling techniques. We crafted 100 questions in the field of winter limnology that aim to facilitate the cross-pollination of intensive and extensive modes of study to broaden knowledge of the winter period.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, cryosphere, lake ice, limnology, modeling, remote sensing}, issn = {0043-1397}, doi = {10.1029/2024WR039042}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024WR039042}, author = {Culpepper, Joshua and Sharma, Sapna and Gunn, Grant and Magee, Madeline R. and Meyer, Michael F. and Anderson, Eric J. and Arp, Chris and Cooley, Sarah W. and Dolan, Wayana and Hilary A. Dugan and Duguay, Claude R. and Jones, Benjamin M. and Kirillin, Georgiy and Ladwig, Robert and Lepp{\"a}ranta, Matti and Long, Di and Magnuson, John J. and Pavelsky, Tamlin and Piccolroaz, Sebastiano and Robertson, Dale M. and Steele, Bethel G. and Tom, Manu and Weyhenmeyer, Gesa A. and Woolway, R. Iestyn and Xenopoulos, Marguerite A. and Yang, Xiao} } @article {5017, title = {Remote sensing for species distribution models: An illustration from a sentinel taxon of the world{\textquoteright}s driest ecosystem}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {106}, year = {2025}, month = {02/2025}, pages = {e70035}, abstract = {

In situ observed data are commonly used as species occurrence response variables in species distribution models. However, the use of remotely observed data from high-resolution multispectral remote-sensing images as a source of presence/absence data for species distribution models remains under-developed. Here, we describe an ensemble species distribution model of black microbial mats (Nostoc spp.) using presence/absence points derived from the unmixing of 4-m resolution WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 images in the Lake Fryxell basin region of Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Environmental and topographical characteristics such as soil moisture, snow, elevation, slope, and aspect were used as predictor variables in our models. We demonstrate that we can build and run ensemble species distribution models using both dependent and independent variables derived from remote-sensing data to generate spatially explicit habitat suitability maps. Snow and soil moisture were found to be the most important variables accounting for about 80\% of the variation in the distribution of black mats throughout the Fryxell basin. This study highlights the potential contribution of high-resolution remote-sensing to species distribution modeling and informs new studies incorporating remotely derived species occurrences in species distribution models, especially in remote areas where access to in situ data is often limited.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, McMurdo Dry Valleys, microbial mats, remote sensing, species distribution modeling, species occurrence}, issn = {0012-9658}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.v106.210.1002/ecy.70035}, url = {https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecy.70035}, author = {Thapa-Magar, Khum B. and Eric R. Sokol and Michael N. Gooseff and Salvatore, Mark R. and John E. Barrett and Joseph S. Levy and Knightly, J. Paul and Power, Sarah N.} } @article {4929, title = {The application and modification of WRF-Hydro/Glacier to a cold-based Antarctic glacier}, journal = {Hydrology and Earth System Sciences}, volume = {28}, year = {2024}, month = {02/2024}, pages = {459 - 478}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) are home to a unique microbial ecosystem that is dependent on the availability of freshwater. This is a polar desert and freshwater originates almost entirely from surface and near-surface melt of the cold-based glaciers. Understanding the future evolution of these environments requires the simulation of the full chain of physical processes from net radiative forcing, surface energy balance, melt, runoff and transport of meltwater in stream channels from the glaciers to the terminal lakes where the microbial community resides. To establish a new framework to do this, we present the first application of WRF-Hydro/Glacier in the MDV, which as a fully distributed hydrological model has the capability to resolve the streams from the glaciers to the bare land that surround them. Given that meltwater generation in the MDV is almost entirely dependent on small changes in the energy balance of the glaciers, the aim of this study is to optimize the multi-layer snowpack scheme that is embedded in WRF-Hydro/Glacier to ensure that the feedbacks between albedo, snowfall and melt are fully resolved. To achieve this, WRF-Hydro/Glacier is implemented at a point scale using automatic weather station data on Commonwealth Glacier to physically model the onset, duration and end of melt over a 7-month period (1 August 2021 to 28 February 2022). To resolve the limited energetics controlling melt, it was necessary to (1) limit the percolation of meltwater through the ice layers in the multi-layer snowpack scheme and (2) optimize the parameters controlling the albedo of both snow and ice over the melt season based on observed spectral signatures of albedo. These modifications enabled the variability of broadband albedo over the melt season to be accurately simulated and ensured that modelled surface and near-surface temperatures, surface height change and runoff were fully resolved. By establishing a new framework that couples a detailed snowpack model to a fully distributed hydrological model, this work provides a stepping stone to model the spatial and temporal variability of melt and streamflow in the future, which will enable some of the unknown questions about the hydrological connectivity of the MDV to be answered.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.5194/hess-28-459-2024}, url = {https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/459/2024/}, author = {Pletzer, Tamara and Conway, Jonathan P. and Cullen, Nicolas J. and Eidhammer, Trude and Katurji, Marwan} } @article {4941, title = {Biogeographic survey of soil bacterial communities across Antarctica}, journal = {Microbiome}, volume = {12}, year = {2024}, month = {01/2024}, abstract = {

Antarctica and its unique biodiversity are increasingly at risk from the effects of global climate change and other human influences. A significant recent element underpinning strategies for Antarctic conservation has been the development of a system of Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs). The datasets supporting this classification are, however, dominated by eukaryotic taxa, with contributions from the bacterial domain restricted to Actinomycetota and Cyanobacteriota. Nevertheless, the ice-free areas of the Antarctic continent and the sub-Antarctic islands are dominated in terms of diversity by bacteria. Our study aims to generate a comprehensive phylogenetic dataset of Antarctic bacteria with wide geographical coverage on the continent and sub-Antarctic islands, to investigate whether bacterial diversity and distribution is reflected in the current ACBRs.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs), Antarctic soil microbiome, bioclimatic variables, biogeography, microbial diversity, regionalization, soils}, doi = {10.1186/s40168-023-01719-3}, url = {https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-023-01719-3}, author = {Varliero, Gilda and Lebre, Pedro H. and Byron Adams and Steven L. Chown and Peter Convey and Dennis, Paul G. and Fan, Dandan and Ferrari, Belinda and Frey, Beat and Hogg, Ian D. and Hopkins, David W. and Kong, Weidong and Makhalanyane, Thulani and Matcher, Gwynneth and Newsham, Kevin K. and Stevens, Mark I. and Weigh, Katherine V. and Cowan, Don A.} } @article {4996, title = {Drifting along: Using diatoms to track the contribution of microbial mats to particulate organic matter transport in a glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {15}, year = {2024}, month = {05/2024}, abstract = {

Flow pulses mobilize particulate organic matter (POM) in streams from the surrounding landscape and streambed. This POM serves as a source of energy and nutrients, as well as a means for organismal dispersal, to downstream communities. In the barren terrestrial landscape of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica, benthic microbial mats occupying different in-stream habitat types are the dominant POM source in the many glacier-fed streams. Many of these streams experience daily flow peaks that mobilize POM, and diatoms recovered from underlying stream sediments suggest that mat-derived diatoms in the POM are retained there through hyporheic exchange. Yet, \‘how much\’ and \‘when\’ different in-stream habitat types contribute to POM diatom assemblages is unknown. To quantify the contribution of different in-stream habitat types to POM diatom assemblages, we collected time-integrated POM samples over four diel experiments, which spanned a gradient of flow conditions over three summers. Diatoms from POM samples were identified, quantified, and compared with dominant habitat types (i.e., benthic \‘orange\’ mats, marginal \‘black\’ mats, and bare sediments). Like bulk POM, diatom cell concentrations followed a clockwise hysteresis pattern with stream discharge over the daily flow cycles, indicating supply limitation. Diatom community analyses showed that different habitat types harbor distinct diatom communities, and mixing models revealed that a substantial proportion of POM diatoms originated from bare sediments during baseflow conditions. Meanwhile, orange and black mats contribute diatoms to POM primarily during daily flow peaks when both cell concentrations and discharge are highest, making mats the most important contributors to POM diatom assemblages at high flows. These observations may help explain the presence of mat-derived diatoms in hyporheic sediments. Our results thus indicate a varying importance of different in-stream habitats to POM generation and export on daily to seasonal timescales, with implications for biogeochemical cycling and the local diatom metacommunity.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, cyanobacteria, diatom, flow regime, hydrology, microbial mat, Nostoc}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2024.1352666}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1352666/full}, author = {Lee F. Stanish and Tyler J. Kohler and Darling, Joshua P. and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4935, title = {Sentinel protist taxa of the McMurdo Dry Valley lakes, Antarctica: A review}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {12}, year = {2024}, month = {03/2024}, pages = {1323472}, abstract = {

High-latitude meromictic lakes such as those in the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) harbor aquatic ecosystems dominated by the microbial loop. Within this habitat, which is limited year-round by light and nutrients, protists, or single celled eukaryotes, play outsized roles in the food web as the dominant primary producers and the apex predators. Thus, the MDV lake ecosystem represents an ideal system to study the role of sentinel protist taxa in carbon and nutrient cycling. The perennially ice-covered lakes are part of the McMurdo Long Term Ecological Research (McM LTER; mcmlter.org) established in 1993. In this review we will highlight the diversity and trophic roles of the MDV lake protist community and compare environmental factors driving spatiotemporal patterns in key protist taxa in two lakes within the McM LTER, Lakes Bonney and Fryxell. We will then discuss lessons learned from manipulated experiments on the impact of current and future climate-driven environmental change on sensitive protist taxa. Last, we will integrate knowledge gained from 25 years of lab-controlled experiments on key photosynthetic protists to extend our understanding of the function of these extremophiles within the MDV aquatic food webs. Our research group has studied the distribution and function of the MDV microbial community for nearly two decades, training the next generation of scientists to tackle future problems of these globally significant microbes. This review article will also highlight early career scientists who have contributed to this body of work and represent the future of scientific understanding in the Anthropocene.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, Disturbance, McMurdo Dry Valley lakes, phytoplankton, protist}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2024.1323472}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2024.1323472}, author = {Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and Popson, Devon and Pereira, Rochelle and Dolhi-Binder, J and Teufel, Amber G. and Li, Wei and Kalra, Isha and Sherwell, Shasten S. and Reynebeau, Emily and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach} } @article {4962, title = {The underground network: Facilitation in soil bacteria}, journal = {Oikos}, year = {2024}, month = {06/2024}, abstract = {

Our understanding of the fundamental role that soil bacteria play in the structure and functioning of Earth\&$\#$39;s ecosystems is ever expanding, but insight into the nature of interactions within these bacterial communities remains rudimentary. Bacterial facilitation may enhance the establishment, growth, and succession of eukaryotic biota, elevating the complexity and diversity of the entire soil community and thereby modulating multiple ecosystem functions. Global climate change often alters soil bacterial community composition, which, in turn, impacts other dependent biota. However, the impact of climate change on facilitation within bacterial communities remains poorly understood even though it may have important cascading consequences for entire ecosystems. The wealth of metagenomic data currently being generated gives community ecologists the ability to investigate bacterial facilitation in the natural world and how it affects ecological systems responses to climate change. Here, we review current evidence demonstrating the importance of facilitation in promoting emergent properties such as community diversity, ecosystem functioning, and resilience to climate change in soil bacterial communities. We show that a synthesis is currently missing between the abundant data, newly developed models and a coherent ecological framework that addresses these emergent properties. We highlight that including phylogenetic information, the physicochemical environment, and species-specific ecologies can improve our ability to infer interactions in natural soil communities. Following these recommendations, studies on bacterial facilitation will be an important piece of the puzzle to understand the consequences of global change on ecological communities and a model to advance our understanding of facilitation in complex communities more generally.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, bacteria, climate change, facilitation, resilience, stress-gradient hypothesis}, issn = {0030-1299}, doi = {10.1111/oik.10299}, url = {https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/oik.10299}, author = {Jorna, Jesse and Adams, Byron J. and Aanderud, Zachary T. and Frandsen, Paul B. and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and K{\'e}fi, Sonia} } @article {4942, title = {The distribution of surface soil moisture over space and time in eastern Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Remote Sensing}, volume = {15}, year = {2023}, month = {06/2023}, pages = {3170}, abstract = {

Available soil moisture is thought to be the limiting factor for most ecosystem processes in the cold polar desert of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica. Previous studies have shown that microfauna throughout the MDVs are capable of biological activity when sufficient soil moisture is available (~2\–10\% gravimetric water content), but few studies have attempted to quantify the distribution, abundance, and frequency of soil moisture on scales beyond that of traditional field work or local field investigations. In this study, we present our work to quantify the soil moisture content of soils throughout the Fryxell basin using multispectral satellite remote sensing techniques. Our efforts demonstrate that ecologically relevant abundances of liquid water are common across the landscape throughout the austral summer. On average, the Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley is modeled as containing 1.5 \± 0.5\% gravimetric water content (GWC) across its non-fluvial landscape with ~23\% of the landscape experiencing an average GWC \> 2\% throughout the study period, which is the observed limit of soil nematode activity. These results indicate that liquid water in the soils of the MDVs may be more abundant than previously thought, and that the distribution and availability of liquid water is dependent on both soil properties and the distribution of water sources. These results can also help to identify ecological hotspots in the harsh polar Antarctic environment and serve as a baseline for detecting future changes in the soil hydrological regime.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Dry valleys, ecology, hydrology, remote sensing, soil moisture}, doi = {10.3390/rs15123170}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/12/3170}, author = {Salvatore, Mark R. and Barrett, John E. and Fackrell, Laura E. and Sokol, Eric R. and Levy, Joseph S. and Kuentz, Lily C. and Gooseff, Michael N. and Adams, Byron J. and Power, Sarah N. and Knightly, J. Paul and Matul, Haley M. and Szutu, Brian and Doran, Peter T.} } @article {4937, title = {High salt-induced PSI-supercomplex is associated with high CEF and attenuation of state transitions}, journal = {Photosynthesis Research}, volume = {157}, year = {2023}, month = {09/2023}, pages = {65 - 84}, abstract = {

While PSI-driven cyclic electron flow (CEF) and assembly of thylakoid supercomplexes have been described in model organisms like Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, open questions remain regarding their contributions to survival under long-term stress. The Antarctic halophyte, C. priscuii UWO241 (UWO241), possesses constitutive high CEF rates and a stable PSI-supercomplex as a consequence of adaptation to permanent low temperatures and high salinity. To understand whether CEF represents a broader acclimation strategy to short- and long-term stress, we compared high salt acclimation between the halotolerant UWO241, the salt-sensitive model, C. reinhardtii, and a moderately halotolerant Antarctic green alga, C. sp. ICE-MDV (ICE-MDV). CEF was activated under high salt and associated with increased non-photochemical quenching in all three Chlamydomonas species. Furthermore, high salt-acclimated cells of either strain formed a PSI-supercomplex, while state transition capacity was attenuated. How the CEF-associated PSI-supercomplex interferes with state transition response is not yet known. We present a model for interaction between PSI-supercomplex formation, state transitions, and the important role of CEF for survival during long-term exposure to high salt.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, acclimation, Antarctica, Chlamydomonas, Cyclic electron flow, PSI-supercomplex, salinity, state transitions}, issn = {0166-8595}, doi = {10.1007/s11120-023-01032-y}, url = {https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11120-023-01032-y}, author = {Kalra, Isha and Wang, Xin and Zhang, Ru and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4839, title = {Impact of meltwater flow intensity on the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of microbial mats in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {ISME Communications}, volume = {3}, year = {2023}, month = {01/2023}, pages = {3}, abstract = {

The meltwater streams of the McMurdo Dry Valleys are hot spots of biological diversity in the climate-sensitive polar desert landscape. Microbial mats, largely comprised of cyanobacteria, dominate the streams which flow for a brief window of time (~10 weeks) over the austral summer. These communities, critical to nutrient and carbon cycling, display previously uncharacterized patterns of rapid destabilization and recovery upon exposure to variable and physiologically detrimental conditions. Here, we characterize changes in biodiversity, transcriptional responses and activity of microbial mats in response to hydrological disturbance over spatiotemporal gradients. While diverse metabolic strategies persist between marginal mats and main channel mats, data collected from 4 time points during the austral summer revealed a homogenization of the mat communities during the mid-season peak meltwater flow, directly influencing the biogeochemical roles of this stream ecosystem. Gene expression pattern analyses identified strong functional sensitivities of nitrogen-fixing marginal mats to changes in hydrological activities. Stress response markers detailed the environmental challenges of each microhabitat and the molecular mechanisms underpinning survival in a polar desert ecosystem at the forefront of climate change. At mid and end points in the flow cycle, mobile genetic elements were upregulated across all mat types indicating high degrees of genome evolvability and transcriptional synchronies. Additionally, we identified novel antifreeze activity in the stream microbial mats indicating the presence of ice-binding proteins (IBPs). Cumulatively, these data provide a new view of active intra-stream diversity, biotic interactions and alterations in ecosystem function over a high-flow hydrological regime.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/s43705-022-00202-8}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s43705-022-00202-8}, author = {Zoumplis, Angela and Kolody, Bethany C. and Kaul, Drishti and Zheng, Hong and Venepally, Pratap and Diane M. McKnight and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and DeVries, Arthur L. and Allen, Andrew E.} } @article {4925, title = {Meteorological drivers of melt at two nearby glaciers in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Glaciology}, year = {2023}, month = {12/2023}, pages = {1 - 13}, abstract = {

We study the meteorological drivers of melt at two glaciers in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, using 22 years of weather station observations and surface energy fluxes. The glaciers are located only 30 km apart, but have different local climates; Taylor Glacier is generally drier and windier than Commonwealth Glacier, which receives more snowfall due to its proximity to the coast. Commonwealth Glacier shows more inter-annual melt variability, explained by variable albedo due to summer snowfall events. A significant increase in surface melt at Commonwealth Glacier is associated with a decrease in summer minimum albedo. Inter-annual variability in melt at both glaciers is linked to degree-days above freezing during f{\"o}hn events, occurring more frequently at Taylor Glacier. At Taylor Glacier melt occurs most often with positive air temperatures, but f{\"o}hn conditions also favour sublimation, which cools the surface and prevents melt for the majority of the positive air temperatures. At Commonwealth Glacier, most of the melt instead occurs with sub-zero air temperatures, driven by strong solar radiative heating. Future melt at Taylor Glacier will likely be more sensitive to changes in f{\"o}hn events, while Commonwealth Glacier will be impacted more by changes in near coastal weather, where moisture inputs can drive cloud cover, snowfall and change albedo.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctic glaciology, energy balance, glacier meteorology, ice/atmosphere interactions, melt-surface}, issn = {0022-1430}, doi = {10.1017/jog.2023.98}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-glaciology/article/meteorological-drivers-of-melt-at-two-nearby-glaciers-in-the-mcmurdo-dry-valleys-of-antarctica/2B8ED17DEC26AB5F0905BC4C7ACA02FA}, author = {Hofsteenge, Marte G. and Cullen, Nicolas J. and Conway, Jonathan P. and Reijmer, Carleen H. and van den Broeke, Michiel R. and Katurji, Marwan} } @article {4864, title = {Nitrogen fixation facilitates stream microbial mat biomass across the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Biogeochemistry}, year = {2023}, month = {07/2023}, abstract = {

Nitrogen (N) fixation is a fundamental mechanism by which N enters streams. Yet, because of modern N saturation, it is difficult to study the importance of N-fixation to stream nutrient budgets. Here, we utilized relatively simple and pristine McMurdo Dry Valley streams to investigate the role of N-fixing Nostoc abundance, streamwater dissolved inorganic N (DIN) concentration, and distance from the source glacier in regulating the elemental and isotopic composition of three microbial mat types (black, orange, and green) at the landscape scale. We found Nostoc-based black mats were the most enriched in δ15N, and δ15N signatures of mats increased where Nostoc was abundant, but did not surpass the atmospheric standard (δ15N \≈ 0\‰). Furthermore, green and orange mat δ15N signatures became more depleted with increasing DIN, indicating that mats utilize glacial meltwater-sourced N when available. The distance from the source glacier explained limited variability in mat δ15N across sites, indicating the influence of individual stream characteristics on N spiraling. To further explore longitudinal N spiraling processes generating observed δ15Ν patterns, we developed a simple steady-state mathematical model. Analysis of plausible scenarios with this model confirmed that streams both have the capacity to remove allochthonous DIN over the plausible range of inputs, and that internal N sources are required to account for δ15N signatures and observed DIN concentrations at stream outlets. Collectively, these data and modeling results demonstrate that N-fixation exerts substantial influence within and across these streams, and is presumably dependent upon interconnected organic matter reserves, mineralization rates, and geomorphology.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, biofilm, C, cyanobacteria, hyporheic zone, MCM LTER, mineralization, N, P biogeochemistry}, doi = {10.1007/s10533-023-01069-0}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10533-023-01069-0}, author = {Tyler J. Kohler and Singley, Joel G. and Wlostowski, Adam and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4841, title = {Postglacial adaptations enabled colonization and quasi-clonal dispersal of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in modern European large lakes}, journal = {Science Advances}, volume = {9}, year = {2023}, month = {02/2023}, pages = {eadc9392}, abstract = {

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) play a key role in the aquatic nitrogen cycle. Their genetic diversity is viewed as the outcome of evolutionary processes that shaped ancestral transition from terrestrial to marine habitats. However, current genome-wide insights into AOA evolution rarely consider brackish and freshwater representatives or provide their divergence timeline in lacustrine systems. An unbiased global assessment of lacustrine AOA diversity is critical for understanding their origins, dispersal mechanisms, and ecosystem roles. Here, we leveraged continental-scale metagenomics to document that AOA species diversity in freshwater systems is remarkably low compared to marine environments. We show that the uncultured freshwater AOA, \“Candidatus Nitrosopumilus limneticus,\” is ubiquitous and genotypically static in various large European lakes where it evolved 13 million years ago. We find that extensive proteome remodeling was a key innovation for freshwater colonization of AOA. These findings reveal the genetic diversity and adaptive mechanisms of a keystone species that has survived clonally in lakes for millennia.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1126/sciadv.adc9392}, url = {https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adc9392}, author = {Ngugi, David Kamanda and Salcher, Michaela M. and Andrei, Adrian-Stefan and Ghai, Rohit and Klotz, Franziska and Chiriac, Maria-Cecilia and Ionescu, Danny and B{\"u}sing, Petra and Grossart, Hans-Peter and Xing, Peng and John C. Priscu and Alymkulov, Salmor and Pester, Michael} } @article {4814, title = {Antarctic lake phytoplankton and bacteria from near-surface waters exhibit high sensitivity to climate-driven disturbance}, journal = {Environmental Microbiology}, year = {2022}, month = {07/2022}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs), Antarctica, represent a cold, desert ecosystem poised on the threshold of melting and freezing water. The MDVs have experienced dramatic signs of climatic change, most notably a warm austral summer in 2001\–2002 that caused widespread flooding, partial ice cover loss and lake level rise. To understand the impact of these climatic disturbances on lake microbial communities, we simulated lake level rise and ice-cover loss by transplanting dialysis-bagged communities from selected depths to other locations in the water column or to an open water perimeter moat. Bacteria and eukaryote communities residing in the surface waters (5 m) exhibited shifts in community composition when exposed to either disturbance, while microbial communities from below the surface were largely unaffected by the transplant. We also observed an accumulation of labile dissolved organic carbon in the transplanted surface communities. In addition, there were taxa-specific sensitivities: cryptophytes and Actinobacteria were highly sensitive particularly to the moat transplant, while chlorophytes and several bacterial taxa increased in relative abundance or were unaffected. Our results reveal that future climate-driven disturbances will likely undermine the stability and productivity of MDV lake phytoplankton and bacterial communities in the surface waters of this extreme environment.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.16113}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1462-2920.16113}, author = {Sherwell, Shasten S. and Kalra, Isha and Li, Wei and Diane M. McKnight and John C. Priscu and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4713, title = {Blowin{\textquoteright} in the wind: Dispersal, structure, and metacommunity dynamics of aeolian diatoms in the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Phycology}, volume = {58}, year = {2022}, month = {02/2022}, pages = {36-54}, abstract = {

Diatom metacommunities are structured by environmental, historical, and spatial factors that are often attributed to organism dispersal. In the McMurdo Sound region (MSR) of Antarctica, wind connects aquatic habitats through delivery of inorganic and organic matter. We evaluated the dispersal of diatoms in aeolian material and its relation to the regional diatom metacommunity using light microscopy and 18S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The concentration of diatoms ranged from 0 to 8.76 * 106 valves \· g-1 dry aeolian material. Up to 15\% of whole cells contained visible protoplasm, indicating that up to 3.43 * 104 potentially viable individuals could be dispersed in a year to a single 2 cm2\ site. Diatom DNA and RNA was detected at each site, reinforcing the likelihood that we observed dispersal of viable diatoms. Of the 50 known morphospecies in the MSR, 72\% were identified from aeolian material using microscopy. Aeolian community composition varied primarily by site. Meanwhile, each aeolian community was comprised of morphospecies found in aquatic communities from the same lake basin. These results suggest that aeolian diatom dispersal in the MSR is spatially structured, is predominantly local, and connects local aquatic habitats via a shared species pool. Nonetheless, aeolian community structure was distinct from that of aquatic communities, indicating that intrahabitat dispersal and environmental filtering also underlie diatom metacommunity dynamics. The present study confirms that a large number of diatoms are passively dispersed by wind across a landscape characterized by aeolian processes, integrating the regional flora and contributing to metacommunity structure and landscape connectivity.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, 18S rRNA, airborne, algae, assembly, Bacillariophyta, biogeography, connectivity, high-throughput sequencing}, issn = {0022-3646}, doi = {10.1111/jpy.13223}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpy.13223}, author = {Schulte, Nicholas O. and Khan, Alia L. and Smith, Emma W. and Zoumplis, Angela and Kaul, Drishti and Allen, Andrew E. and Adams, Byron J. and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4766, title = {Cyclic electron flow (CEF) and ascorbate pathway activity provide constitutive photoprotection for the photopsychrophile, Chlamydomonas sp. UWO 241~(renamed Chlamydomonas priscuii)}, journal = {Photosynthesis Research}, volume = {151}, year = {2022}, month = {03/2022}, pages = {235 - 250}, abstract = {

Under environmental stress, plants and algae employ a variety of strategies to protect the photosynthetic apparatus and maintain photostasis. To date, most studies on stress acclimation have focused on model organisms which possess limited to no tolerance to stressful extremes. We studied the ability of the Antarctic alga Chlamydomonas sp. UWO 241 (UWO 241) to acclimate to low temperature, high salinity or high light. UWO 241 maintained robust growth and photosynthetic activity at levels of temperature (2 \°C) and salinity (700 mM NaCl) which were nonpermissive for a mesophilic sister species, Chlamydomonas raudensis SAG 49.72 (SAG 49.72). Acclimation in the mesophile involved classic mechanisms, including downregulation of light harvesting and shifts in excitation energy between photosystem I and II. In contrast, UWO 241 exhibited high rates of PSI-driven cyclic electron flow (CEF) and a larger capacity for nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). Furthermore, UWO 241 exhibited constitutively high activity of two key ascorbate cycle enzymes, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase and maintained a large ascorbate pool. These results matched the ability of the psychrophile to maintain low ROS under short-term photoinhibition conditions. We conclude that tight control over photostasis and ROS levels are essential for photosynthetic life to flourish in a native habitat of permanent photooxidative stress. We propose to rename this organism Chlamydomonas priscuii.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, ascorbate, Cyclic electron flow, Photosystem I, Psychrophile, ROS}, doi = {10.1007/s11120-021-00877-5}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11120-021-00877-5}, author = {Stahl-Rommel, Sarah and Kalra, Isha and D{\textquoteright}Silva, Susanna and Hahn, Mark M. and Popson, Devon and Cvetkovska, Marina and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4834, title = {Lipid biomarkers from microbial mats on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica: Signatures for life in the cryosphere}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {13}, year = {2022}, month = {06/2022}, pages = {903621}, abstract = {

Persistent cold temperatures, a paucity of nutrients, freeze-thaw cycles, and the strongly seasonal light regime make Antarctica one of Earth\’s least hospitable surface environments for complex life. Cyanobacteria, however, are well-adapted to such conditions and are often the dominant primary producers in Antarctic inland water environments. In particular, the network of meltwater ponds on the \‘dirty ice\’ of the McMurdo Ice Shelf is an ecosystem with extensive cyanobacteria-dominated microbial mat accumulations. This study investigated intact polar lipids (IPLs), heterocyte glycolipids (HGs), and bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs) in combination with 16S and 18S rRNA gene diversity in microbial mats of twelve ponds in this unique polar ecosystem. To constrain the effects of nutrient availability, temperature and freeze-thaw cycles on the lipid membrane composition, lipids were compared to stromatolite-forming cyanobacterial mats from ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys as well as from (sub)tropical regions and hot springs. The 16S rRNA gene compositions of the McMurdo Ice Shelf mats confirm the dominance of Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria while the 18S rRNA gene composition indicates the presence of Ochrophyta, Chlorophyta, Ciliophora, and other microfauna. IPL analyses revealed a predominantly bacterial community in the meltwater ponds, with archaeal lipids being barely detectable. IPLs are dominated by glycolipids and phospholipids, followed by aminolipids. The high abundance of sugar-bound lipids accords with a predominance of cyanobacterial primary producers. The phosphate-limited samples from the (sub)tropical, hot spring, and Lake Vanda sites revealed a higher abundance of aminolipids compared to those of the nitrogen-limited meltwater ponds, affirming the direct affects that N and P availability have on IPL compositions. The high abundance of polyunsaturated IPLs in the Antarctic microbial mats suggests that these lipids provide an important mechanism to maintain membrane fluidity in cold environments. High abundances of HG keto-ols and HG keto-diols, produced by heterocytous cyanobacteria, further support these findings and reveal a unique distribution compared to those from warmer climates.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, bacteriohopanepolyol, cyanobacteria, heterocyte glycolipids, homeoviscous adaptation, intact polar lipid, microbial mats}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.90362110.3389/fmicb.2022.903621.s001}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.903621/full}, author = {Evans, Thomas W. and Kalambokidis, Maria J. and Jungblut, Anne D. and Millar, Jasmin L. and Bauersachs, Thorsten and Grotheer, Hendrik and Mackey, Tyler J. and Ian Hawes and Summons, Roger E.} } @article {4716, title = {Photosynthetic adaptation to polar life: Energy balance, photoprotection and genetic redundancy}, journal = {Journal of Plant Physiology}, volume = {268}, year = {2022}, month = {01/2022}, pages = {153557}, abstract = {

The persistent low temperature that characterize polar habitats combined with the requirement for light for all photoautotrophs creates a conundrum. The absorption of too much light at low temperature can cause an energy imbalance that decreases photosynthetic performance that has a negative impact on growth and can affect long-term survival. The goal of this review is to survey the mechanism(s) by which polar photoautotrophs maintain cellular energy balance, that is, photostasis to overcome the potential for cellular energy imbalance in their low temperature environments. Photopsychrophiles are photosynthetic organisms that are obligately adapted to low temperature (0-15 \°C) but usually die at higher temperatures (\≥20 \°C). In contrast, photopsychrotolerant species can usually tolerate and survive a broad range of temperatures (5-40 \°C). First, we summarize the basic concepts of excess excitation energy, energy balance, photoprotection and photostasis and their importance to survival in polar habitats. Second, we compare the photoprotective mechanisms that underlie photostasis and survival in aquatic cyanobacteria and green algae as well as terrestrial Antarctic and Arctic plants. We show that polar photopsychrophilic and photopsychrotolerant organisms attain energy balance at low temperature either through a regulated reduction in the efficiency of light absorption or through enhanced capacity to consume photosynthetic electrons by the induction of O2\ as an alternative electron acceptor. Finally, we compare the published genomes of three photopsychrophilic and one photopsychrotolerant alga with five mesophilic green algae including the model green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We relate our genomic analyses to photoprotective mechanisms that contribute to the potential attainment of photostasis. Finally, we discuss how the observed genomic redundancy in photopsychrophilic genomes may confer energy balance, photoprotection and resilience to their harsh polar environment. Primary production in aquatic, Antarctic and Arctic environments is dependent on diverse algal and cyanobacterial communities. Although mosses and lichens dominate the Antarctic terrestrial landscape, only two extant angiosperms exist in the Antarctic. The identification of a single \‘molecular key\’ to unravel adaptation of photopsychrophily and photopsychrotolerance remains elusive. Since these photoautotrophs represent excellent biomarkers to assess the impact of global warming on polar ecosystems, increased study of these polar photoautotrophs remains essential.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, genomic redundancy, light, photoprotection, photopsychrophily, photopsychrotolerance, Photosynthesis, temperature}, doi = {10.1016/j.jplph.2021.153557}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0176161721001966}, author = {H{\"u}ner, Norman P. A. and Smith, David R. and Cvetkovska, Marina and Zhang, Xi and Alexander G. Ivanov and Szyszka-Mroz, Beth and Kalra, Isha and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4838, title = {The time is right for an Antarctic biorepository network}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {119}, year = {2022}, month = {12/2022}, abstract = {

Antarctica is a central driver of the Earth\’s climate and health. The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica serves as a major sink for anthropogenic CO2 and heat, and the loss of Antarctic ice sheets contributes significantly to sea level rise and will continue to do so as the loss of ice sheets accelerates, with sufficient water stores to raise sea levels by 58 m. Antarctica\&$\#$39;s marine environment is home to a number of iconic species, and the terrestrial realm harbors a remarkable oasis for life, much of which has yet to be discovered. Distinctive oceanographic features of the Southern Ocean\—including the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the Antarctic Polar Front, and exceptional depths surrounding the continent\—coupled with chronically cold temperatures have fostered the evolution of a vast number of uniquely coldadapted species, many of which are found nowhere else on the Earth. The Antarctic marine biota, for example, displays the highest level of species endemism on the Earth. However, warming, ocean acidification, pollution, and commercial exploitation threaten the integrity of Antarctic ecosystems. Understanding changes in the biota and its capacities for adaptation is imperative for establishing effective policies for mitigating the impacts of climate change and sustaining the Antarctic ecosystems that are vital to global health.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0027-8424}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2212800119}, url = {https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2212800119}, author = {O{\textquoteright}Brien, Kristin M. and Crockett, Elizabeth L. and Byron Adams and Amsler, Charles D. and Appiah-Madson, Hannah J. and Collins, Allen and Desvignes, Thomas and Detrich, H. William and Distel, Daniel L. and Eppley, Sarah M. and Frable, Benjamin W. and Franz, Nico M. and Grim, Jeffrey M. and Kocot, Kevin M. and Mahon, Andrew R. and Mayfield-Meyer, Teresa J. and Jill A. Mikucki and Moser, William E. and Schmull, Michaela and Seid, Charlotte A. and Smith, Craig R. and Todgham, Anne E. and Watkins-Colwell, Gregory J.} } @article {4945, title = {Timing and duration of ephemeral Antarctic water tracks and wetlands using high temporal{\textendash}resolution satellite imagery, high spatial{\textendash}resolution satellite imagery, and ground-based sensors in the McMurdo Dry Valleys}, journal = {Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research}, volume = {54}, year = {2022}, month = {12/2022}, pages = {538 - 561}, abstract = {

Antarctic water tracks and ephemeral wetlands are a primary location for biogeochemical soil processes driving cold desert soil formation. Though the spatial extent of water tracks and wetted soils has been mapped in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) on the basis of mapping darkened pixels in high-resolution commercial satellite imagery, the timescale over which water tracks and wetlands form and the duration of these biogeochemically active environments remain unknown. Here, we determine the start date and end dates and the duration of wetted soils at ten sites located across the MDV using a combination of in situ soil sensors and two complementary remote imaging platforms (Planet and WorldView) to understand the hydroclimatic processes that drive water track and wetland formation. Our remote sensing employs a terrain correction workflow that removes the contribution of differential direct illumination and small-scale shadowing on pixel brightness, reducing false positives (soils identified as wetted when in fact they are shadowed or darkened as a consequence of high phase angle). Our findings extend the water track and wetland hydroperiod by over a month, showing darkening occurring from November to March, suggesting hydrological contributions from ground ice thaw, snowmelt, and salt deliquescence and soil brine growth.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, hydroperiod, remote sensing, water track, wetland}, issn = {1523-0430}, doi = {10.1080/15230430.2022.2123858}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15230430.2022.2123858}, author = {Kuentz, Lily C. and Joseph S. Levy and Salvatore, Mark R.} } @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 {4644, title = {From the Heroic Age to today: What diatoms from Shackleton{\textquoteright}s Nimrod expedition can tell us about the ecological trajectory of Antarctic ponds}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography Letters}, year = {2021}, month = {07/2021}, abstract = {

Biological invasion and environmental change pose major threats to ecosystems. While long-term ecological change is commonly evaluated through sediment cores in lakes, it is generally not feasible for smaller ponds, and spatial resolution is limited. Here, we analyze pond diatom communities collected during Shackleton\&$\#$39;s Nimrod expedition at Cape Royds, Antarctica, to compare with the same waterbodies a century later. We find historical samples to be almost identical to modern counterparts, and provide no evidence of exotic introductions despite increasing human activity. However, a shift occurred in the pond nearest Shackleton\&$\#$39;s hut, Pony Lake, which was dominated by Luticola muticopsis a century ago, and was replaced by Craspedostauros laevissimus. Both are endemic species previously and currently present at Cape Royds, and we hypothesize that a shift in conductivity accompanying changing precipitation patterns may be responsible. Collectively, these results provide important data for assessing human and climate impacts among Antarctic lacustrine habitats.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {2378-2242}, doi = {10.1002/lol2.10200}, url = {https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lol2.10200}, author = {Tyler J. Kohler and Howkins, Adrian and Eric R. Sokol and Kopalov{\'a}, Kate{\v r}ina and Cox, Aneliya and Darling, Joshua P. and Michael N. Gooseff and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4768, title = {Patterns and trends of organic matter processing and transport: Insights from the US Long-term Ecological Research Network}, journal = {Climate Change Ecology}, volume = {2}, year = {2021}, month = {12/2021}, pages = {100025}, abstract = {

Organic matter (OM) dynamics determine how much carbon is stored in ecosystems, a service that modulates climate. We synthesized research from across the US Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network to assemble a conceptual model of OM dynamics that is consistent with inter-disciplinary perspectives and emphasizes vulnerability of OM pools to disturbance. Guided by this conceptual model, we identified unanticipated patterns and long-term trends in processing and transport of OM emerging from terrestrial, freshwater, wetland, and marine ecosystems. Cross-ecosystem synthesis combined with a survey of researchers revealed several themes: 1) strong effects of climate change on OM dynamics, 2) surprising patterns in OM storage and dynamics resulting from coupling with nutrients, 3) characteristic and often complex legacies of land use and disturbance, 4) a significant role of OM transport that is often overlooked in terrestrial ecosystems, and 5) prospects for reducing uncertainty in forecasting OM dynamics by incorporating the chemical composition of OM. Cross-fertilization of perspectives and approaches across LTER sites and other research networks can stimulate the comprehensive understanding required to support large-scale characterizations of OM budgets and the role of ecosystems in regulating global climate.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, coupled biogeochemical cycles, cross-site synthesis, organic matter composition, organic matter storage, stabilization, transport}, issn = {26669005}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecochg.2021.100025}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666900521000253}, author = {Harms, Tamara K. and Groffman, Peter M. and Aluwihare, Lihini and Craft, Christopher and Wieder, William R and Hobbie, S and Baer, Sara G. and J.M. Blair and Frey, Serita D. and Remucal, Christina K. and Rudgers, Jennifer A. and Collins, SL and Kominoski, John S. and Ball, Becky and John C. Priscu and John E. Barrett} } @phdthesis {4678, title = {Role of cyclic electron flow (CEF) and photosystem I (PSI) supercomplex formation during acclimation to long-term salinity stress in green algae: A comparative study}, volume = {PhD}, year = {2021}, month = {2021}, pages = {236}, school = {Miami University}, type = {Doctoral}, address = {Oxford, OH}, abstract = {Photosynthesis is one of the most important processes on Earth by which organisms convert solar energy into usable forms of energy. Linear electron flow (LEF) and cyclic electron flow (CEF) constitute two major pathways in photosynthesis. While LEF leads to production of both ATP and NADPH, CEF only produces ATP that helps balance the ATP:NADPH ratio required for carbon fixation. CEF also plays a major role during acclimation to several environmental stressors. However, the regulation and mechanism by which CEF operates is still not clearly understood. Recent studies have shown that formation of a protein supercomplex with PSI appears to be essential for induction of CEF in several model organisms. However, both supercomplex formation and CEF induction have been mainly studied under short-term, transitory stress conditions. In addition, the role and mechanism by which organisms may rely on CEF to survive in their natural habitat and acclimate to stress over a long period of time has not been considered. In this study we compared how three photosynthetic organisms (one model alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii; two extremophiles, C. sp. UWO241 and C. sp. ICE-MDV) utilize CEF to cope with their natural environment and adapt to steady-state environmental stress. To that end, the objectives of this thesis were i) to elucidate the role of CEF in long-term salinity acclimation ii) to understand the downstream changes associated with increased CEF, and iii) to identify whether PSI-supercomplexes are associated with increased CEF during salinity acclimation. We hypothesized that a stable PSI-supercomplex is required for high CEF, which in turn supports strong carbon fixation capacity for production of downstream metabolic products important for long-term acclimation to salinity stress. We showed for the first time, that increased CEF in UWO241 leads to excess ATP production and rewiring of downstream metabolism under high salinity. Next, we showed that a laboratory evolved salinity-tolerant strain of model C. reinhardtii uses constitutive upregulation of CEF to deal with salinity stress, which is in-turn associated with increased non-photochemical quenching and rewired carbon metabolism. Last, we show that CEF is involved in salinity acclimation in all three Chlamydomonas species, regardless of their salinity tolerance. We also show that PSI-supercomplexes are associated with increased CEF in these species. Characterization of high-salt supercomplex of C. reinhardtii revealed that it shares many similarities with the extensively described state 2 supercomplex, and that supercomplex composition might be species dependent rather than stress dependent.}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, acclimation, CEF, extremophile, Photosynthesis, salinity stress, supercomplex}, url = {https://www.proquest.com/docview/2572560585}, author = {Kalra, Isha}, editor = {Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @proceedings {4575, title = {Change in Pictures: Creating best practices in archiving ecological imagery for reuse}, journal = {Biodiversity Information Science and Standards}, volume = {4}, year = {2020}, month = {09/2020}, abstract = {

The research data repository of the Environmental Data Initiative (EDI) is building on over 30 years of data curation research and experience in the National Science Foundation-funded US Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network. It provides mature functionalities, well established workflows, and now publishes all \‘long-tail\’ environmental data. High quality scientific metadata are enforced through automatic checks against community developed rules and the Ecological Metadata Language (EML) standard. Although the EDI repository is far along in making its data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR), representatives from EDI and the LTER are developing best practices for the edge cases in environmental data publishing. One of these is the vast amount of imagery taken in the context of ecological research, ranging from wildlife camera traps to plankton imaging systems to aerial photography. Many images are used in biodiversity research for community analyses (e.g., individual counts, species cover, biovolume, productivity), while others are taken to study animal behavior and landscape-level change.

Some examples from the LTER Network include: using photos of a heron colony to measure provisioning rates for chicks (Clarkson and Erwin 2018) or identifying changes in plant cover and functional type through time (Peters et al. 2020). Multi-spectral images are employed to identify prairie species. Underwater photo quads are used to monitor changes in benthic biodiversity (Edmunds 2015). Sosik et al. (2020) used a continuous Imaging FlowCytobot to identify and measure phyto- and microzooplankton. Cameras at McMurdo Dry Valleys assess snow and ice cover on Antarctic lakes allowing estimation of primary production (Myers 2019).

It has been standard practice to publish numerical data extracted from images in EDI; however, the supporting imagery generally has not been made publicly available. Our goal in developing best practices for documenting and archiving these images is for them to be discovered and re-used. Our examples demonstrate several issues. The research questions, and hence, the image subjects are variable. Images frequently come in logical sets of time series. The size of such sets can be large and only some images may be contributed to a dedicated specialized repository. Finally, these images are taken in a larger monitoring context where many other environmental data are collected at the same time and location.

Currently, a typical approach to publishing image data in EDI are packages containing compressed (ZIP or tar) files with the images, a directory manifest with additional image-specific metadata, and a package-level EML metadata file. Images in the compressed archive may be organized within directories with filenames corresponding to treatments, locations, time periods, individuals, or other grouping attributes. Additionally, the directory manifest table has columns for each attribute. Package-level metadata include standard coverage elements (e.g., date, time, location) and sampling methods. This approach of archiving logical \‘sets\’ of images reduces the effort of providing metadata for each image when most information would be repeated, but at the expense of not making every image individually searchable. The latter may be overcome if the provided manifest contains standard metadata that would allow searching and automatic integration with other images.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, data repository, ecological data, metadata}, doi = {10.3897/biss.4.59082}, url = {https://biss.pensoft.net/article/59082/}, author = {Gries, Corinna and Beaulieu, Stace and Brown, Ren{\'e}e F. and Gastil-Buhl, Gastil and Elmendorf, Sarah C. and Hsieh, Hsun-Yi and Kui, Li and Maurer, Greg and Porter, John H.} } @article {4419, title = {Chlamydomonas sp. UWO 241 exhibits high cyclic electron flow and rewired metabolism under high salinity}, journal = {Plant Physiology}, year = {2020}, month = {03/2020}, abstract = {

The Antarctic green alga Chlamydomonas sp. UWO 241 (UWO 241) is adapted to permanent low temperatures, hypersalinity, and extreme shade. one of the most striking phenotypes of UWO 241 is an altered photosystem I (PSI) organization and constitutive PSI cyclic electron flow (CEF). To date, little attention has been paid to CEF during long-term stress acclimation, and the consequences of sustained CEF in UWO 241 are not known. In this study, we combined photobiology, proteomics, and metabolomics to understand the underlying role of sustained CEF in high salinity stress acclimation. High salt-grown UWO 241 exhibited increased thylakoid proton motive flux and an increased capacity for non-photochemical quenching. Under high salt, a significant proportion of the upregulated enzymes were associated with the Calvin Benson Bassham Cycle, carbon storage metabolism, and protein translation. Two key enzymes of the Shikimate pathway, DAHP synthase and chorismate synthase, were also upregulated, as well as indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase, an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of L-tryptophan and indole acetic acid. In addition, several compatible solutes (glycerol, proline, and sucrose) accumulated to high levels in high salt-grown UWO 241 cultures. We suggest that UWO 241 maintains constitutively high CEF through the associated PSI-cytochrome b6f supercomplex to support robust growth and strong photosynthetic capacity under a constant growth regime of low temperatures and high salinity.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1104/pp.19.01280}, url = {http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/early/2020/04/03/pp.19.01280}, author = {Kalra, Isha and Wang, Xin and Cvetkovska, Marina and Jeong, Jooyeon and McHargue, William and Zhang, Ru and H{\"u}ner, Norman and Yuan, Joshua S. and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4515, title = {Evaluating alternative metacommunity hypotheses for diatoms in the McMurdo Dry Valleys using simulations and remote sensing data}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {8}, year = {2020}, month = {09/2020}, abstract = {

Diatoms are diverse and widespread freshwater Eukaryotes that make excellent microbial subjects for addressing questions in metacommunity ecology. In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, the simple trophic structure of glacier-fed streams provides an ideal outdoor laboratory where well-described diatom assemblages are found within two cyanobacterial mat types, which occupy different habitats and vary in coverage within and among streams. Specifically, black mats of Nostoc spp. occur in marginal wetted habitats, and orange mats (Oscillatoria spp. and Phormidium spp.) occur in areas of consistent stream flow. Despite their importance as bioindicators for changing environmental conditions, the role of dispersal in structuring dry valley diatom metacommunities remains unclear. Here, we use MCSim, a spatially explicit metacommunity simulation package for R, to test alternative hypotheses about the roles of dispersal and species sorting in maintaining the biodiversity of diatom assemblages residing in black and orange mats. The spatial distribution and patchiness of cyanobacterial mat habitats was characterized by remote imagery of the Lake Fryxell sub-catchment in Taylor Valley. The available species pool for diatom metacommunity simulation scenarios was informed by the Antarctic Freshwater Diatoms Database, maintained by the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research program. We used simulation outcomes to test the plausibility of alternative community assembly hypotheses to explain empirically observed patterns of freshwater diatom biodiversity in the long-term record. The most plausible simulation scenarios suggest species sorting by environmental filters, alone, was not sufficient to maintain biodiversity in the Fryxell Basin diatom metacommunity. The most plausible scenarios included either (1) neutral models with different immigration rates for diatoms in orange and black mats or (2) species sorting by a relatively weak environmental filter, such that dispersal dynamics also influenced diatom community assembly, but there was not such a strong disparity\ in immigration rates between mat types. The results point to the importance of dispersal for understanding current and future biodiversity patterns for diatoms in this ecosystem, and more generally, provide further evidence that metacommunity theory is a useful framework for testing hypotheses about microbial community assembly.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, Bacillariophyceae, dispersal, Nostoc, stream ecology}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2020.521668}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2020.521668/full}, author = {Eric R. Sokol and John E. Barrett and Tyler J. Kohler and Diane M. McKnight and Salvatore, Mark R. and Lee F. Stanish} } @article {4471, title = {Geochemistry of aeolian material from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Insights into Southern Hemisphere dust sources}, journal = {Earth and Planetary Science Letters}, volume = {547}, year = {2020}, month = {10/2020}, abstract = {

In the Southern Hemisphere, the major sources of dust and other aeolian materials are from Patagonia, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Dust from Patagonia and New Zealand has been identified in ice cores throughout Antarctica, suggesting that during arid and windy periods, such as glacial periods, dust can be entrained and transported onto the continent. However, little information exists on modern Antarctic dust sources, transport, and its role in the Southern Hemisphere dust cycle. We present the first geochemical characterization of aeolian materials collected at five heights (between 5 cm and 100 cm) above the surface in four valleys within the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the largest ice-free area in Antarctica. Our mineralogy data indicate that these materials are primarily derived from local rocks of the McMurdo Volcanics, Ferrar Dolerite, Beacon Sandstone and Granite Harbor Intrusives, with varying contributions of each rock type dependent on the valley location. While major oxide, trace element and rare earth element data show that low elevation and coastal locations (with respect to the Ross Sea) are dominated by local sources, high elevation and inland locations have accumulated both local materials and dust from other distant Southern Hemisphere sources. This far-traveled material may not be accumulating today, but represents a paleo source that is resuspended from the soils. By geochemically \“fingerprinting\” aeolian materials from the MDV, we can better inform future studies on the transport of materials within Antarctica and between Southern Hemisphere land masses.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, aeolian material, Antarctica, major oxides, mineralogy, rare earth elements, trace elements}, doi = {10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116460}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X20304040}, author = {Melisa A. Diaz and Welch, Susan A. and Sheets, J. M. and Kathleen A. Welch and Khan, Alia L. and Byron Adams and Diane M. McKnight and Craig S Cary and W. Berry Lyons} } @article {4420, title = {A global database of soil nematode abundance and functional group composition}, journal = {Scientific Data}, volume = {7}, year = {2020}, month = {03/2020}, abstract = {

As the most abundant animals on earth, nematodes are a dominant component of the soil community. they play critical roles in regulating biogeochemical cycles and vegetation dynamics within and across landscapes and are an indicator of soil biological activity. Here,\ we present a comprehensive global dataset of soil nematode abundance and functional group composition. This dataset includes 6,825 georeferenced soil samples from all continents and biomes. For geospatial mapping purposes these samples are aggregated into 1,933 unique 1-km pixels, each of which is linked to 73 global environmental covariate data layers. Altogether,\ this dataset can help to gain insight into the spatial distribution patterns of soil nematode abundance and community composition, and the environmental drivers shaping these patterns.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/s41597-020-0437-3}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-020-0437-3}, author = {van den Hoogen, Johan and Geisen, Stefan and Diana H. Wall and Wardle, D and Traunspurger, Walter and de Goede, Ron G. M. and Byron Adams and Ahmad, Wasim and Ferris, Howard and Richard D. Bardgett and Bonkowski, Michael and Campos-Herrera, Raquel and Cares, Juvenil E. and Caruso, Tancredi and de Brito Caixeta, Larissa and Chen, Xiaoyun and Costa, Sofia R. and Creamer, Rachel and da Cunha e Castro, Jos{\'e} and Dam, Marie and Djigal, Djibril and Escuer, Miguel and Griffiths, Bryan S. and Guti{\'e}rrez, Carmen and Hohberg, Karin and Kalinkina, Daria and Kardol, Paul and Kergunteuil, Alan and Korthals, Gerard and Krashevska, Valentyna and Kudrin, Alexey A. and Li, Qi and Liang, Wenju and Magilton, Matthew and Marais, Mariette and Mart{\'\i}n, Jos{\'e} Antonio Rodr{\'\i}guez and Matveeva, Elizaveta and Mayad, El Hassan and Mzough, E. and Mulder, Christian and Mullin, Peter and Neilson, Roy and Nguyen, T. A. Duong and Uffe N. Nielsen and Okada, Hiroaki and Rius, Juan Emilio Palomares and Pan, Kaiwen and Peneva, Vlada and Pellissier, Lo{\"\i}c and Carlos Pereira da Silva, Julio and Pitteloud, Camille and Powers, Thomas O. and Powers, Kirsten and Quist, Casper W. and Rasmann, Sergio and Moreno, Sara S{\'a}nchez and Scheu, Stefan and Set{\"a}l{\"a}, Heikki and Sushchuk, Anna and Tiunov, Alexei V. and Trap, Jean and Vesterg{\r a}rd, Mette and Villenave, Cecile and Waeyenberge, Lieven and Wilschut, Rutger and Wright, Daniel G. and Keith, Aidan M. and Yang, Jiue-in and Schmidt, Olaf and Bouharroud, R. and Ferji, Z. and van der Putten, Wim H. and Routh, Devin and Crowther, Thomas Ward} } @article {4297, title = {Methane production in the oxygenated water column of a perennially ice-covered Antarctic lake}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {65}, year = {2020}, month = {01/2020}, abstract = {

Aerobic methane production in aquatic ecosystems impacts the global atmospheric budget of methane, but the extent, mechanism, and taxa responsible for producing this greenhouse gas are not fully understood. Lake Bonney (LB), a perennially ice-covered Antarctic lake, has cold hypersaline waters underlying an oxygenated freshwater layer. We present temporal methane concentration profiles in LB indicating methane production in the oxygenated (\>\ 200\% air saturation) water. Experiments amended with methylphosphonate (MPn) yielded methane generation, suggesting in situ methanogenesis via the carbon-phosphorus (C-P) lyase pathway. Enrichment cultures from the lake were used to isolate five bacterial strains capable of generating methane when supplied with MPn as the sole P source. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolates belong to the Proteobacteria (closely related to Marinomonas, Hoeflea, and Marinobacter genera) and Bacteroidetes (Algoriphagus genus). 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing confirms the presence of these taxa in LB. None of the isolated species were reported to be capable to produce methane. In addition, orthologs of the phosphoenolpyruvate mutase gene (PepM) and methylphosphonate synthase (MPnS), enzymes involved in phosphonate and MPn biosynthesis, were widely spread in the LB shotgun metagenomic libraries; genes related to C-P lyase pathways (phn gene clusters) were also abundant. 16S rRNA and mcrA genes of anaerobic methanogens were absent in both 16S rRNA and metagenomics libraries. These data reveal that in situ aerobic biological methane production is likely a significant source of methane in LB.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/lno.11257}, url = {https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lno.11257}, author = {Li, Wei and John E. Dore and Steigmeyer, August J. and Cho, Yong-Joon and Kim, Ok-Sun and Liu, Yongqin and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and Skidmore, Mark L. and John C. Priscu} } @article {4154, title = {The Antarctic psychrophiles Chlamydomonas spp. UWO241 and ICE-MDV exhibit differential restructuring of photosystem I in response to iron}, journal = {Photosynthesis Research}, volume = {9}, year = {2019}, month = {02/2019}, abstract = {

Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241 is a psychrophilic alga isolated from the deep photic zone of a perennially ice-covered Antarctic lake (east lobe Lake Bonney, ELB). Past studies have shown that C. sp. UWO241 exhibits constitutive downregulation of photosystem I (PSI) and high rates of PSI-associated cyclic electron flow (CEF). Iron levels in ELB are in the nanomolar range leading us to hypothesize that the unusual PSI phenotype of C. sp. UWO241 could be a response to chronic Fe-deficiency. We studied the impact of Fe availability in C. sp. UWO241, a mesophile, C. reinhardtii SAG11-32c, as well as a psychrophile isolated from the shallow photic zone of ELB, Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-MDV. Under Fe-deficiency, PsaA abundance and levels of photooxidizable P700 (ΔA820/A820) were reduced in both psychrophiles relative to the mesophile. Upon increasing Fe, C. sp. ICE-MDV and C. reinhardtii exhibited restoration of PSI function, while C. sp. UWO241 exhibited only moderate changes in PSI activity and lacked almost all LHCI proteins. Relative to Fe-excess conditions (200 μM Fe2+), C. sp. UWO241 grown in 18 μM Fe2+ exhibited downregulation of light harvesting and photosystem core proteins, as well as upregulation of a bestrophin-like anion channel protein and two CEF-associated proteins (NdsS, PGL1). Key enzymes of starch synthesis and shikimate biosynthesis were also upregulated. We conclude that in response to variable Fe availability, the psychrophile C. sp. UWO241 exhibits physiological plasticity which includes restructuring of the photo-chemical apparatus, increased PSI-associated CEF, and shifts in downstream carbon metabolism toward storage carbon and secondary stress metabolites.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, Cyclic electron flow, Iron, Photosystem I, Psychrophile}, issn = {0166-8595}, doi = {10.1007/s11120-019-00621-0}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11120-019-00621-0}, author = {Cook, Greg and Teufel, Amber and Kalra, Isha and Li, Wei and Wang, Xin and John C. Priscu and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4153, title = {Biotic interactions are an unexpected yet critical control on the complexity of an abiotically driven polar ecosystem}, journal = {Communications Biology}, volume = {2}, year = {2019}, month = {02/2019}, abstract = {

Abiotic and biotic factors control ecosystem biodiversity, but their relative contributions remain unclear. The ultraoligotrophic ecosystem of the Antarctic Dry Valleys, a simple yet highly heterogeneous ecosystem, is a natural laboratory well-suited for resolving the abiotic and biotic controls of community structure. We undertook a multidisciplinary investigation to capture ecologically relevant biotic and abiotic attributes of more than 500 sites in the Dry Valleys, encompassing observed landscape heterogeneities across more than 200 km2. Using richness of autotrophic and heterotrophic taxa as a proxy for functional complexity, we linked measured variables in a parsimonious yet comprehensive structural equation model that explained significant variations in biological complexity and identified landscape-scale and fine-scale abiotic factors as the primary drivers of diversity. However, the inclusion of linkages among functional groups was essential for constructing the best-fitting model. Our findings support the notion that biotic interactions make crucial contributions even in an extremely simple ecosystem.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/s42003-018-0274-5}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-018-0274-5}, author = {Charles K. Lee and Laughlin, Daniel C. and Bottos, Eric M. and Caruso, Tancredi and Joy, Kurt and John E. Barrett and Brabyn, Lars and Uffe N. Nielsen and Byron Adams and Diana H. Wall and D. W. Hopkins and Pointing, Steve B. and McDonald, Ian R. and Cowan, Don A. and Banks, Jonathan C. and Stichbury, Glen A. and Jones, Irfon and Zawar-Reza, Peyman and Katurji, Marwan and Hogg, Ian D. and Sparrow, Ashley D. and Storey, Bryan C. and Allan Green, T. G. and Craig S Cary} } @article {4332, title = {Community response of microbial primary producers to salinity is primarily driven by nutrients in lakes}, journal = {Science of the Total Environment}, volume = {696}, year = {2019}, month = {12/2019}, pages = {134001}, abstract = {

Higher microbial diversity was frequently observed in saline than fresh waters, but the underlying mechanisms remains unknown, particularly in microbial primary producers (MPP). MPP abundance and activity are notably constrained by high salinity, but facilitated by high nutrients. It remains to be ascertained whether and how nutrients regulate the salinity constraints on MPP abundance and community structure. Here we investigated the impact of nutrients on salinity constraints on MPP abundance and diversity in undisturbed lakes with a wide salinity range on the Tibetan Plateau. MPP community was explored using quantitative PCR, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing of cloning libraries targeting form IC cbbL gene. The MPP community structure was sorted by salinity into freshwater (salinity\<1\‰), saline (1\‰ \< salinity\<29\‰) and hypersaline (salinity\>29\‰) lakes. Furthermore, while MPP abundance, diversity and richness were significantly constrained with increasing salinity, these constraints were mitigated by enhancing total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents in freshwater and saline lakes. In contrast, the MPP diversity increased significantly with the salinity in hypersaline lakes, due to the mitigation of enhancing TOC and TN contents and salt-tolerant MPP taxa. The mitigating effect of nutrients was more pronounced in saline than in freshwater and hypersaline lakes. The MPP compositions varied along salinity, with Betaproteobacteria dominating both the freshwater and saline lakes and Gammaproteobacteria dominating the hypersaline lakes. We concluded that high nutrients could mitigate the salinity constraining effects on MPP abundance, community richness and diversity. Our findings offer a novel insight into the salinity effects on primary producers and highlight the interactive effects of salinity and nutrients on MPP in lakes. These findings can be used as a baseline to illuminate the effects of increased anthropogenic activities altering nutrient dynamics on the global hydrological cycle and the subsequent responses thereof by MPP communities.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, cbbL, lake waters, microbial primary producers, nutrient, salinity}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134001}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719339786}, author = {Yue, Linyan and Weidong Kong and Ji, Mukan and Liu, Jinbo and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4244, title = {Diurnal chemistry of two contrasting stream types, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley Region, Antarctica}, journal = {E3S Web of Conferences}, volume = {98}, year = {2019}, month = {06/2019}, abstract = {

Numerous ephemeral streams flow within the McMurdo Dry Valley Region of Antarctica that transport glacial meltwater to perennially ice-covered, closed-basin lakes during the austral summer. The diurnal behavior for two Taylor Valley streams of different character was examined during the summer of 2010-11. Andersen Creek is a short, 1st-order proglacial stream, whereas Von Guerard Stream is a long, high-order stream with an extensive hyporheic zone that has a substantial cyanobacterial algal mat community in its middle reaches. Both streams display strong daily cycles for temperature, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Conductivity varies in concert with flow, with solute dilution occurring during the daily high-flow pulse. Dissolved oxygen co-varies strongly with pH at Andersen Creek but not for Von Guerard Stream. Each stream has a distinct geochemical character that for Andersen Creek is a direct reflection of its glacial source, unmodified by secondary effects, whereas that for Von Guerard Stream is modulated by its resident algal mat community and through extensive hyporheic zone interaction and exchange.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1051/e3sconf/20199801020}, url = {https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/abs/2019/24/e3sconf_wri-162018_01020/e3sconf_wri-162018_01020.html}, author = {Harmon, Mark E. and Leslie, D.L. and W. Berry Lyons and Kathleen A. Welch and Diane M. McKnight}, editor = {Chudaev, O. and Kharaka, Y. and Harmon, R.S. and Millot, R. and Shouakar-Stash, O.} } @article {4450, title = {The Geochemistry of Englacial Brine From Taylor Glacier, Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences}, volume = {124}, year = {2019}, month = {03/2019}, abstract = {

Blood Falls is a hypersaline, iron-rich discharge at the terminus of the Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. In November 2014, brine in a conduit within the glacier was penetrated and sampled using clean-entry techniques and a thermoelectric melting probe called the IceMole. We analyzed the englacial brine sample for filterable iron (fFe), total Fe, major cations and anions, nutrients, organic carbon, and perchlorate. In addition, aliquots were analyzed for minor and trace elements and isotopes including δD and δ18O of water, δ34S and δ18O of sulfate, 234U, 238U, δ11B, 87Sr/86Sr, and δ81Br. These measurements were made in order to (1) determine the source and geochemical evolution of the brine and (2) compare the chemistry of the brine to that of nearby hypersaline lake waters and previous supraglacially sampled collections of Blood Falls outflow that were interpreted as end-member brines. The englacial brine had higher Cl\− concentrations than the Blood Falls end-member outflow; however, other constituents were similar. The isotope data indicate that the water in the brine is derived from glacier melt. The H4SiO4 concentrations and U and Sr isotope suggest a high degree of chemical weathering products. The brine has a low N:P ratio of ~7.2 with most of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen in the form of NH4+. Dissolved organic carbon concentrations are similar to end-member outflow values. Our results provide strong evidence that the original source of solutes in the brine was ancient seawater, which has been modified with the addition of chemical weathering products.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1029/2018JG004411}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018JG004411}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and Jill A. Mikucki and German, Laura A. and Kathleen A. Welch and Sue Welch and Christopher B. Gardner and Tulaczyk, Slawek M. and Pettit, Erin C. and Kowalski, Julia and Dachwald, Bernd} } @article {4335, title = {Sabbea gen. nov., a new diatom genus (Bacillariophyta) from continental Antarctica}, journal = {Phytotaxa}, volume = {418}, year = {2019}, month = {09/2019}, abstract = {

The non-marine diatom flora of the Antarctic Continent includes several endemic taxa recorded over the past 100 years. One of these taxa, Navicula adminensis D.Roberts \& McMinn, was described from the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica. Detailed light and scanning electron microscopy observations have shown that based on its morphological features, the species does not belong to the genus Navicula sensu stricto. To determine the most closely related genera to N. adminensis, the morpho- logical features of Adlafia, Kobayasiella, Envekadea, Stenoneis, Berkeleya, Climaconeis, and Parlibellus were compared with those of N. adminensis. Although each of these genera shows one or more similar features, none of them accommodates the salient morphological characteristics of N. adminensis. Therefore, a new genus, Sabbea gen. nov., is herein described, and Navicula adminensis is formally transferred to the new genus as Sabbea adminensis comb. nov. The genus Sabbea is characterized by uniseriate striae composed of small, rounded areolae occluded externally by individual hymenes, a rather simple raphe structure with straight, short proximal ends and short terminal raphe fissures, open girdle bands with double perforation and a very shallow mantle.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Bacillariophyta, Cape Royds, East Antarctica, McMurdo Dry Valleys, new genus, Vestfold Hills}, doi = {10.11646/phytotaxa.418.1.2}, url = {https://www.mapress.com/j/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.418.1.2}, author = {Bishop, Jordan and Kopalov{\'a}, Kate{\v r}ina and Darling, Joshua P. and Schulte, Nicholas O. and Tyler J. Kohler and McMinn, Andrew and Sarah A. Spaulding and Diane M. McKnight and Bart Van de Vijver} } @article {4837, title = {Meteorological connectivity from regions of high biodiversity within the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology}, volume = {58}, year = {2019}, month = {11/2019}, pages = {2437 - 2452}, abstract = {

Meteorological connectivity between biological hot spots of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica is thought to play a role in species distribution and abundance through the aeolian transport of bioaerosols. Understanding the potential role of such meteorological connectivity requires an understanding of near-surface wind flow within and between valley airsheds. To address this, we applied Lagrangian wind trajectory modeling to mesoscale (spatial resolution of ~1 km) weather model output to predict connectivity pathways, focusing on regions of high biodiversity. Our models produce maps of a likelihood metric of wind connectivity that demonstrate the synoptic and mesoscale dependence of connections between local, near-local, and nonlocal areas on wind transport, modulated by synoptic weather and topographic forcing. These connectivity areas can have spatial trends modulated by the synoptic weather patterns and locally induced topographically forced winds. This method is transferrable to other regions of Antarctica for broader terrestrial, coastal, and offshore ecological connectivity research. Also, our analysis and methods can inform better placement of aeolian dust and bioaerosol samplers in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, provide preliminary guidelines behind the meteorological controls of sediment transport and smaller particle distribution, and present quantifiable knowledge informing new hypotheses around the potential of wind acting as a physical driver for biological connectivity in the MDVs.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, atmosphere, biosphere-atmosphere interaction, mesoscale models, mesoscale processes, numerical analysis/modeling}, issn = {1558-8424}, doi = {10.1175/JAMC-D-18-0336.1}, url = {https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/apme/58/11/jamc-d-18-0336.1.xml}, author = {Katurji, Marwan and Khan, Basit and Sprenger, Michael A. and Datta, Rajasweta and Joy, Kurt and Zawar-Reza, Peyman and Ian Hawes} } @article {4374, title = {The polar regions in a 2{\textdegree}C warmer world}, journal = {Science Advances}, volume = {5}, year = {2019}, month = {12/2019}, pages = {eaaw9883}, abstract = {

Over the past decade, the Arctic has warmed by 0.75\°C, far outpacing the global average, while Antarctic tem- peratures have remained comparatively stable. As Earth approaches 2\°C warming, the Arctic and Antarctic may reach 4\°C and 2\°C mean annual warming, and 7\°C and 3\°C winter warming, respectively. Expected consequences of increased Arctic warming include ongoing loss of land and sea ice, threats to wildlife and traditional human livelihoods, increased methane emissions, and extreme weather at lower latitudes. With low biodiversity, Antarctic ecosystems may be vulnerable to state shifts and species invasions. Land ice loss in both regions will contribute substantially to global sea level rise, with up to 3 m rise possible if certain thresholds are crossed. Mitigation efforts can slow or reduce warming, but without them northern high latitude warming may accelerate in the next two to four decades. International cooperation will be crucial to foreseeing and adapting to expected changes.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aaw9883}, url = {http://advances.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aaw9883}, author = {Post, Eric and Alley, Richard B. and Christensen, Torben R. and Macias-Fauria, Marc and Forbes, Bruce C. and Michael N. Gooseff and Iler, Amy and Kerby, Jeffrey T. and Laidre, Kristin L. and Mann, Michael E. and Olofsson, Johan and Stroeve, Julienne C. and Ulmer, Fran and Ross A. Virginia and Wang, Muyin} } @article {4295, title = {Soil nematode abundance and functional group composition at a global scale}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {572}, year = {2019}, month = {08/2019}, abstract = {

Soil organisms are a crucial part of the terrestrial biosphere. Despite their importance for ecosystem functioning, few quantitative, spatially explicit models of the active belowground community currently exist. In particular, nematodes are the most abundant animals on Earth, filling all trophic levels in the soil food web. Here we use 6,759 georeferenced samples to generate a mechanistic understanding of the patterns of the global abundance of nematodes in the soil and the composition of their functional groups. The resulting maps show that 4.4 \± 0.64 \× 1020 nematodes (with a total biomass of approximately 0.3 gigatonnes) inhabit surface soils across the world, with higher abundances in sub-Arctic regions (38\% of total) than in temperate (24\%) or tropical (21\%) regions. Regional variations in these global trends also provide insights into local patterns of soil fertility and functioning. These high-resolution models provide the first steps towards representing soil ecological processes in global biogeochemical models and will enable the prediction of elemental cycling under current and future climate scenarios.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/s41586-019-1418-6}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1418-6}, author = {van den Hoogen, Johan and Geisen, Stefan and Routh, Devin and Ferris, Howard and Traunspurger, Walter and Wardle, D and de Goede, Ron G. M. and Byron Adams and Ahmad, Wasim and Andriuzzi, Walter S. and Richard D. Bardgett and Bonkowski, Michael and Campos-Herrera, Raquel and Cares, Juvenil E. and Caruso, Tancredi and de Brito Caixeta, Larissa and Chen, Xiaoyun and Costa, Sofia R. and Creamer, Rachel and Mauro da Cunha Castro, Jos{\'e} and Dam, Marie and Djigal, Djibril and Escuer, Miguel and Griffiths, Bryan S. and Guti{\'e}rrez, Carmen and Hohberg, Karin and Kalinkina, Daria and Kardol, Paul and Kergunteuil, Alan and Korthals, Gerard and Krashevska, Valentyna and Kudrin, Alexey A. and Li, Qi and Liang, Wenju and Magilton, Matthew and Marais, Mariette and Mart{\'\i}n, Jos{\'e} Antonio Rodr{\'\i}guez and Matveeva, Elizaveta and Mayad, El Hassan and Mulder, Christian and Mullin, Peter and Neilson, Roy and Nguyen, T. A. Duong and Uffe N. Nielsen and Okada, Hiroaki and Rius, Juan Emilio Palomares and Pan, Kaiwen and Peneva, Vlada and Pellissier, Lo{\"\i}c and Carlos Pereira da Silva, Julio and Pitteloud, Camille and Powers, Thomas O. and Powers, Kirsten and Quist, Casper W. and Rasmann, Sergio and Moreno, Sara S{\'a}nchez and Scheu, Stefan and Set{\"a}l{\"a}, Heikki and Sushchuk, Anna and Tiunov, Alexei V. and Trap, Jean and van der Putten, W and Vesterg{\r a}rd, Mette and Villenave, Cecile and Waeyenberge, Lieven and Diana H. Wall and Wilschut, Rutger and Wright, Daniel G. and Yang, Jiue-in and Crowther, Thomas Ward} } @article {4156, title = {Aeolian material transport and its role in landscape connectivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface}, volume = {123}, year = {2018}, month = {12/2018}, pages = {3323 - 3337}, abstract = {

Arid regions, particularly polar and alpine desert environments, have diminished landscape connectivity compared to temperate regions due to limited and/or seasonal hydrological processes. For these environments, aeolian processes play a particularly important role in landscape evolution and biotic community vitality through nutrient and solute additions. The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) are the largest ice-free area in Antarctica and are potentially a major source of aeolian material for the continent. From this region, samples were collected at five heights (~5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 cm) above the surface seasonally for 2013 through 2015 from Alatna Valley, Victoria Valley, Miers Valley, and Taylor Valley (Taylor Glacier, East Lake Bonney, F6 (Lake Fryxell), and Explorer\’s Cove). Despite significant geological separation and varying glacial histories, low-elevation and coastal sites had similar major ion chemistries, as did high-elevation and inland locations. This locational clustering of compositions was also evident in scanning electron microscopy images and principal component analyses, particularly for samples collected at ~100 cm above the surface. Compared to published soil literature, aeolian material in Taylor Valley demonstrates a primarily down-valley transport of material toward the coast. Soluble N:P ratios in the aeolian material reflect relative nutrient enrichments seen in MDV soils and lakes, where younger, coastal soils are relatively N depleted, while older, up-valley soils are relatively P depleted. The aeolian transport of materials, including water-soluble nutrients, is an important vector of connectivity within the MDV and provides a mechanism to help \“homogenize\” the geochemistry of both soil and aquatic ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1029/2017JF004589}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2017JF004589}, author = {Melisa A. Diaz and Byron Adams and Kathleen A. Welch and Sue Welch and Opiyo, Stephen O. and Khan, Alia L. and Diane M. McKnight and Craig S Cary and W. Berry Lyons} } @article {4159, title = {BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene}, journal = {Global Ecology and Biogeography}, volume = {27}, year = {2018}, month = {07/2018}, pages = {760-786}, abstract = {

Motivation: The BioTIME database contains raw data on species identities and abundances in ecological assemblages through time. These data enable users to calculate temporal trends in biodiversity within and amongst assemblages using a broad range of metrics. BioTIME is being developed as a community-led open-source database of biodiversity time series. Our goal is to accelerate and facilitate quantitative analysis of temporal patterns of biodiversity in the Anthropocene.

Main types of variables included: The database contains 8,777,413 species abundance records, from assemblages consistently sampled for a minimum of 2 years, which need not necessarily be consecutive. In addition, the database contains metadata relating to sampling methodology and contextual information about each record.

Spatial location and grain: BioTIME is a global database of 547,161 unique sampling locations spanning the marine, freshwater and terrestrial realms. Grain size varies across datasets from 0.0000000158 km2 (158 cm2) to 100 km2 (1,000,000,000,000 cm2). Time period and grain BioTIME records span from 1874 to 2016. The minimal temporal grain across all datasets in BioTIME is a year.

Major taxa and level of measurement:\ BioTIME includes data from 44,440 species across the plant and animal kingdoms, ranging from plants, plankton and terrestrial invertebrates to small and large vertebrates.

Software format: .csv and .SQL.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, biodiversity, global, spatial, species richness, temporal, turnover}, doi = {10.1111/geb.12729}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/geb.12729}, author = {Dornelas, Maria and Ant{\~a}o, Laura H. and Moyes, Faye and Bates, Amanda E. and Magurran, Anne E. and Adam, Du{\v s}an and Akhmetzhanova, Asem A. and Appeltans, Ward and Arcos, Jos{\'e} Manuel and Arnold, Haley and Ayyappan, Narayanan and Badihi, Gal and Baird, Andrew H. and Barbosa, Miguel and Barreto, Tiago Egydio and B{\"a}ssler, Claus and Bellgrove, Alecia and Belmaker, Jonathan and Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro and Bett, Brian J. and Bjorkman, Anne D. and B{\l}a{\.z}ewicz, Magdalena and Blowes, Shane A. and Bloch, Christopher P. and Bonebrake, Timothy C. and Boyd, Susan and Bradford, Matt and Brooks, Andrew J. and Brown, James H. and Bruelheide, Helge and Budy, Phaedra and Carvalho, Fernando and Casta{\~n}eda-Moya, Edward and Chen, Chaolun Allen and Chamblee, John F. and Chase, Tory J. and Siegwart Collier, Laura and Collinge, Sharon K. and Condit, Richard and Cooper, Elisabeth J. and Cornelissen, J. Hans C. and Cotano, Unai and Kyle Crow, Shannan and Damasceno, Gabriella and Davies, Claire H. and Davis, Robert A. and Day, Frank P. and Degraer, Steven and Doherty, Tim S. and Dunn, Timothy E. and Durigan, Giselda and Duffy, J. Emmett and Edelist, Dor and Edgar, Graham J. and Elahi, Robin and Elmendorf, Sarah C. and Enemar, Anders and Ernest, S. K. Morgan and Escribano, Rub{\'e}n and Estiarte, Marc and Evans, Brian S. and Fan, Tung-Yung and Turini Farah, Fabiano and Loureiro Fernandes, Luiz and Farneda, F{\'a}bio Z. and Fidelis, Alessandra and Fitt, Robert and Fosaa, Anna Maria and Daher Correa Franco, Geraldo Antonio and Frank, Grace E. and Fraser, William R. and Garc{\'\i}a, Hernando and Cazzolla Gatti, Roberto and Givan, Or and Gorgone-Barbosa, Elizabeth and Gould, William A. and Gries, Corinna and Grossman, Gary D. and Gutierr{\'e}z, Julio R. and Hale, Stephen and Harmon, Mark E. and Harte, John and Haskins, Gary and Henshaw, Donald L. and Hermanutz, Luise and Hidalgo, Pamela and Higuchi, Pedro and Hoey, Andrew and Van Hoey, Gert and Hofgaard, Annika and Holeck, Kristen and Hollister, Robert D. and Holmes, Richard and Hoogenboom, Mia and Hsieh, Chih-hao and Hubbell, Stephen P. and Huettmann, Falk and Huffard, Christine L. and Hurlbert, Allen H. and Macedo Ivanauskas, Nat{\'a}lia and Jan{\'\i}k, David and Jandt, Ute and Ja{\.z}d{\.z}ewska, Anna and Johannessen, Tore and Johnstone, Jill and Jones, Julia and Jones, Faith A. M. and Kang, Jungwon and Kartawijaya, Tasrif and Keeley, Erin C. and Kelt, Douglas A. and Kinnear, Rebecca and Klanderud, Kari and Knutsen, Halvor and Koenig, Christopher C. and Kortz, Alessandra R. and Kr{\'a}l, Kamil and Kuhnz, Linda A. and Kuo, Chao-Yang and Kushner, David J. and Laguionie-Marchais, Claire and Lancaster, Lesley T. and Min Lee, Cheol and Lefcheck, Jonathan S. and L{\'e}vesque, Esther and Lightfoot, David and Lloret, Francisco and Lloyd, John D. and L{\'o}pez-Baucells, Adri{\`a} and Louzao, Maite and Madin, Joshua S. and Magn{\'u}sson, Borg{\th}{\'o}r and Malamud, Shahar and Matthews, Iain and McFarland, Kent P. and McGill, Brian and Diane M. McKnight and McLarney, William O. and Meador, Jason and Meserve, Peter L. and Metcalfe, Daniel J. and Meyer, Christoph F. J. and Michelsen, Anders and Milchakova, Nataliya and Moens, Tom and Moland, Even and Moore, Jon and Mathias Moreira, Carolina and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Murphy, Grace and Myers-Smith, Isla H. and Myster, Randall W. and Naumov, Andrew and Neat, Francis and Nelson, James A. and Paul Nelson, Michael and Newton, Stephen F. and Norden, Natalia and Oliver, Jeffrey C. and Olsen, Esben M. and Onipchenko, Vladimir G. and Pabis, Krzysztof and Pabst, Robert J. and Paquette, Alain and Pardede, Sinta and Paterson, David M. and P{\'e}lissier, Rapha{\"e}l and Pe{\~n}uelas, Josep and P{\'e}rez-Matus, Alejandro and Pizarro, Oscar and Pomati, Francesco and Post, Eric and Prins, Herbert H. T. and John C. Priscu and Provoost, Pieter and Prudic, Kathleen L. and Pulliainen, Erkki and Ramesh, B. R. and Mendivil Ramos, Olivia and Rassweiler, Andrew and Rebelo, Jose Eduardo and Reed, Daniel C. and Reich, Peter B. and Remillard, Suzanne M. and Richardson, Anthony J. and Richardson, J. Paul and van Rijn, Itai and Rocha, Ricardo and Rivera-Monroy, Victor H. and Rixen, Christian and Robinson, Kevin P. and Ribeiro Rodrigues, Ricardo and de Cerqueira Rossa-Feres, Denise and Rudstam, Lars and Ruhl, Henry and Ruz, Catalina S. and Sampaio, Erica M. and Rybicki, Nancy and Rypel, Andrew and Sal, Sofia and Salgado, Beatriz and Santos, Flavio A. M. and Savassi-Coutinho, Ana Paula and Scanga, Sara and Schmidt, Jochen and Schooley, Robert and Setiawan, Fakhrizal and Shao, Kwang-Tsao and Shaver, Gaius R. and Sherman, Sally and Sherry, Thomas W. and Sici{\'n}ski, Jacek and Sievers, Caya and da Silva, Ana Carolina and Rodrigues da Silva, Fernando and Silveira, Fabio L. and Slingsby, Jasper and Smart, Tracey and Snell, Sara J. and Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A. and Souza, Gabriel B. G. and Maluf Souza, Flaviana and Castro Souza, Vin{\'\i}cius and Stallings, Christopher D. and Stanforth, Rowan and Stanley, Emily H. and Mauro Sterza, Jos{\'e} and Stevens, Maarten and Stuart-Smith, Rick and Rondon Suarez, Yzel and Supp, Sarah} } @article {4110, title = {Catch and release: Hyporheic retention and mineralization of N-fixing Nostoc sustains downstream microbial mat biomass in two polar desert streams}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography Letters}, volume = {3}, year = {2018}, month = {07/2018}, pages = {357 - 364}, abstract = {

Much work has been performed to investigate controls on nitrogen (N) uptake in streams, yet the fate of assimilated N is comparatively poorly resolved. Here, we use in-stream fixed N as an isotopic tracer to study the fate of assimilated N in glacial meltwater streams. We characterized\ d15N signatures of Oscillatorean, Chlorophyte, and N-fixing\ Nostoc\ mats over the lengths of two streams, and transported particulate organic matter (POM) in one. POM was isotopically most similar to\ Nostoc, which always had values near the atmospheric standard, suggesting N-fixation. Other mat types were depleted upstream, and became progressively enriched downstream, indicating a shift in N source. These results collectively show that\ Nostoc-derived N is mobilized, mineralized, and increasingly assimilated downstream as more depleted glacier-derived N is exhausted, demonstrating the importance of organic matter processing to balancing elemental budgets, and improving our understanding of nutrient cycling in lotic environments.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/lol2.10087}, url = {https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/lol2.10087}, author = {Tyler J. Kohler and Lee F. Stanish and Liptzin, D. and John E. Barrett and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4068, title = {Near-surface refractory black carbon observations in the atmosphere and snow in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica and potential impacts of foehn winds}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres}, volume = {123}, year = {2018}, month = {01/2018}, pages = {2877 - 2887}, abstract = {

Measurements of light absorbing particles in the boundary layer of the high southern latitudes are scarce, particularly in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV),\ Antarctica. During the 2013 - 2014 austral summer near-surface boundary layer refractory black carbon (rBC) aerosols were measured in air by a single particle soot photometer (SP2) at multiple locations in the MDV. Near-continuous rBC atmospheric measurements were collected at Lake Hoare Camp (LH) over two months and for several hours at more remote locations away from established field camps. We investigated periods dominated by both up and down-valley winds to explore the causes of differences in rBC concentrations and size distributions. Snow samples were also collected in a 1m pit on a glacier near the camp. The range of concentrations rBC in snow were 0.3 \– 1.2 \± 0.3 μg-rBC/L-H2O, and total organic carbon were 0.3 \– 1.4 \± 0.3 mg/L. The rBC concentrations measured in this snow pit are not sufficient to reduce surface albedo, however, there is potential for accumulation of rBC on snow and ice surfaces at low elevation throughout the MDV which were not measured as part of this study. At LH, the average background rBC mass aerosol concentrations was 1.3 ng/m3. rBC aerosol mass concentrations were slightly lower, 0.09 \– 1.3 ng/m3, at the most remote sites in the MDV. Concentration spikes as high as 200 ng/m3 were observed at LH, associated with local activities. During a foehn wind event, the average rBC mass concentration increased to 30-50 ng m-3. Here we show the rBC increase could be due to resuspension of locally produced BC from generators, rocket toilets, and helicopters, which may remain on the soil surface until redistributed during high wind events. Quantification of local production and long-range atmospheric transport of rBC to the MDV is necessary for understanding the impacts of this species on regional climate.\ 

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/2017JD027696}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/2017JD027696}, author = {Khan, Alia L. and McMeeking, Gavin and Schwarz, Joshua P. and Xian, Peng and Kathleen A. Welch and W. Berry Lyons and Diane M. McKnight} } @inbook {4100, title = {The Climate of Snow and Ice as Boundary Condition for Microbial Life in Psychrophiles: From Biodiversity to Biotechnology}, year = {2017}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, edition = {2}, abstract = {

The microclimate and structure of snow and ice are a boundary condition as well as a matrix for a large spectrum of microbial life under alpine and polar conditions. Biological activity critically depends on the supply of energy, water and nutrients, with solar radiation as the prime source of energy, varying with latitude and altitude. The energy balance at the snow or ice surface provides the boundary condition for the fluxes of energy and water to the snow and ice, with important latitudinal differences from the temperate to the polar regions. The extreme situations of sunlit rocks surrounded by snow and the environment of Antarctic cryoconite holes, where ice, water, solar radiation and nutrients interact in particular ways, closes this review on ice and its effect on microbial life.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, isbn = {978-3-319-57056-3}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-57057-010.1007/978-3-319-57057-0_1}, url = {http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-319-57057-0}, author = {Kuhn, Michael and Andrew G Fountain}, editor = {R. Margesin} } @article {4112, title = {A communal catalogue reveals Earth{\textquoteright}s multiscale microbial diversity}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {551}, year = {2017}, month = {11/2017}, chapter = {457}, abstract = {

Our growing awareness of the microbial world\’s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth\’s microbial diversity.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/nature24621}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/nature24621}, author = {Thompson, Luke R. and Sanders, Jon G. and McDonald, Daniel and Amir, Amnon and Ladau, Joshua and Locey, Kenneth J. and Prill, Robert J. and Tripathi, Anupriya and Gibbons, Sean M. and Ackermann, Gail and Navas-Molina, Jose A. and Janssen, Stefan and Kopylova, Evguenia and V{\'a}zquez-Baeza, Yoshiki and Antonio Gonz{\'a}lez and Morton, James T. and Mirarab, Siavash and Zech Xu, Zhenjiang and Jiang, Lingjing and Haroon, Mohamed F. and Kanbar, Jad and Zhu, Qiyun and Jin Song, Se and Kosciolek, Tomasz and Bokulich, Nicholas A. and Lefler, Joshua and Brislawn, Colin J. and Humphrey, Gregory and Owens, Sarah M. and Hampton-Marcell, Jarrad and Berg-Lyons, Donna and McKenzie, Valerie and Noah Fierer and Fuhrman, Jed A. and Clauset, Aaron and Stevens, Rick L. and Shade, Ashley and Pollard, Katherine S. and Goodwin, Kelly D. and Jansson, Janet K. and Gilbert, Jack A. and Knight, Rob and The Earth Microbiome Project Consortium} } @article {4024, title = {Decoupled responses of soil bacteria and their invertebrate consumer to warming, but not freeze-thaw cycles, in the Antarctic Dry Valleys}, journal = {Ecology Letters}, volume = {20}, year = {2017}, month = {10/2017}, pages = {1242-1249}, abstract = {

Altered temperature profiles resulting in increased warming and freeze\–thaw cycle (FTC) frequency pose great ecological challenges to organisms in alpine and polar ecosystems. We performed a laboratory microcosm experiment to investigate how temperature variability affects soil bacterial cell numbers, and abundance and traits of soil microfauna (the microbivorous nematode Scottnema lindsayae) from McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. FTCs and constant freezing shifted nematode body size distribution towards large individuals, driven by higher mortality among smaller individuals. FTCs reduced both bacterial and nematode abundance, but bacterial cell numbers also declined under warming, demonstrating decoupled consumer\–prey responses. We predict that higher occurrence of FTCs in cold ecosystems will select for large body size within soil microinvertebrates and overall reduce their abundance. In contrast, warm temperatures without FTCs could lead to divergent responses in soil bacteria and their microinvertebrate consumers, potentially affecting energy and nutrient transfer rates in soil food webs of cold ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/ele.12819}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.12819/full}, author = {Matthew Knox and Andriuzzi, Walter S. and Heather N. Buelow and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Byron Adams and Diana H. Wall} } @article {4002, title = {Dissolved black carbon in the global cryosphere: Concentrations and chemical signatures}, journal = {Geophysical Research Letters}, volume = {44}, year = {2017}, month = {06/2017}, pages = {6226-6234}, abstract = {

Black carbon (BC) is derived from the incomplete combustion of biomass and fossil fuels and can enhance glacial recession when deposited on snow and ice surfaces. Here we explore the influence of environmental conditions and the proximity to anthropogenic sources on the concentration and composition of dissolved black carbon (DBC), as measured by benzenepolycaroxylic acid (BPCA) markers, across snow, lakes, and streams from the global cryosphere. Data are presented from Antarctica, the Arctic, and high alpine regions of the Himalayas, Rockies, Andes, and Alps. DBC concentrations spanned from 0.62 μg/L to 170 μg/L. The median and (2.5, 97.5) quantiles in the pristine samples were 1.8 μg/L (0.62, 12), and nonpristine samples were 21 μg/L (1.6, 170). DBC is susceptible to photodegradation when exposed to solar radiation. This process leads to a less condensed BPCA signature. In general, DBC across the data set was composed of less polycondensed DBC. However, DBC from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GRIS) had a highly condensed BPCA molecular signature. This could be due to recent deposition of BC from Canadian wildfires. Variation in DBC appears to be driven by a combination of photochemical processing and the source combustion conditions under which the DBC was formed. Overall, DBC was found to persist across the global cryosphere in both pristine and nonpristine snow and surface waters. The high concentration of DBC measured in supraglacial melt on the GRIS suggests that DBC can be mobilized across ice surfaces. This is significant because these processes may jointly exacerbate surface albedo reduction in the cryosphere.\ 

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/2017GL073485}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/2017GL073485}, author = {Khan, Alia L. and Wagner, Sasha and Jaff{\'e}, Rudolf and Xian, Peng and Williams, Mark and Armstrong, Richard and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4064, title = {Freshwater diatom biogeography and the genus Luticola: an extreme case of endemism in Antarctica}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {40}, year = {2017}, month = {03/2017}, pages = {1185-1196}, abstract = {

Historical views have characterized Antarctica as a frozen desert with low diversity, although recent studies suggest that this may not be true for microscopic organisms. For microbes, assessing endemism in the Antarctic region has been particularly important, especially against a backdrop of debate regarding their presumed cosmopolitan nature. To contribute to this conversation, we highlight the observed endemism of the freshwater diatom genus Luti- cola in Antarctica by synthesizing the results of a modern high-resolution taxonomy from the Continental, Maritime, and sub-Antarctic regions. We report that Luticola has one of the highest endemic rates of any diatom genus in Antarctica, in terms of total number of species (taxon endemism) and percentage of the entire genus (phylogenetic endemism). Of the over 200 species of Luticola globally, nearly 20\% (43) occur in the Antarctic, with 42 of these being endemic. Within regions, Maritime Antarctica has the largest number of Luticola species and endemics (28 and 23, respectively), followed by Continental Antarctica (14, 9) and sub-Antarctic islands (8, 6). Thus, 38 of the 42 endemics are found in a single region only. While the timing of Luticola diversi cation has not been established, fossil evidence suggests recent invasions and/or diversi cation over a relatively short geologic timescale. Understanding the origin and evolution of endemic diatom species in Antarctica will help us better understand microbial biogeography, as well as assess and interpret impacts of large-scale environmental change taking place at southern latitudes.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0722-4060}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-017-2090-7}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-017-2090-7}, author = {J. Patrick Kociolek and Kopalova, K and Hamsher, S. E. and Tyler J. Kohler and Bart Van de Vijver and Convey, Peter and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4115, title = {Impact of nitrogen and phosphorus on phytoplankton production and bacterial community structure in two stratified Antarctic lakes: a bioassay approach}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {40}, year = {2017}, month = {05/2017}, chapter = {1007}, abstract = {

Arctic, Antarctic, and alpine ecosystems are recognized as sensors and sentinels of global change. As a consequence of their high sensitivity to minor climatic perturbations, permanently ice-covered lakes located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica, represent end members in the global network of inland bodies of water. Episodic climatic events in the form of increased summer glacial melt result in inputs of organic sediment and nutrients from glacial streams to these closed basins. Phytoplankton communities residing in the oligotrophic water columns are highly responsive to pulses in nutrient availability; however, there is a lack of understanding on whether specific phytoplankton groups are more competitive during a summer flood event and how shifts in the phytoplankton community may influence heterotrophic bacteria. A bioassay approach in 3-l bottles was used to investigate the influence of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus availability on planktonic communities from the oligotrophic upper waters of two chemically distinct MDV lakes (Lakes Bonney and Fryxell) which differ in their external inputs and water column N/P stoichiometry. While microbial community responses varied between lakes and were nutrient-dependent, stimulation of phytoplankton biomass and productivity across all treatments was strongly linked with increased abundance of a single phytoplankton phylum (Chlorophyta). Despite stimulation of phytoplankton growth, primary and bacterial productivity was generally uncoupled; however, shifts in bacterial community diversity were observed in bioassays amended with either P or NP. We suggest that climate-associated increases in phytoplankton production and concomitant shifts in diversity will influence MDV bacterial community structure by altering the availability and composition of autochthonous carbon for heterotrophic production.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Algal{\textendash}bacteria interactions, climate change, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Nutrient bioassay, Primary production}, issn = {0722-4060}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-016-2025-8}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-016-2025-8}, author = {Teufel, Amber G. and Li, Wei and Kiss, Andor J. and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4103, title = {Niche specialization of bacteria in permanently ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Environmental Microbiology}, volume = {19}, year = {2017}, month = {06/2017}, pages = {2258 - 2271}, abstract = {

Perennially ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, are chemically stratified with depth and have distinct biological gradients. Despite long-term research on these unique environments, data on the structure of the microbial communities in the water columns of these lakes are scarce. Here, we examined bacterial diversity in five ice-covered Antarctic lakes by 16S rRNA gene-based pyrosequencing. Distinct communities were present in each lake, reflecting the unique biogeochemical characteristics of these environments. Further, certain bacterial lineages were confined exclusively to specific depths within each lake. For example, candidate division WM88 occurred solely at a depth of 15 m in Lake Fryxell, whereas unknown lineages of\ Chlorobi\ were found only at a depth of 18 m in Lake Miers, and two distinct classes of\ Firmicutes\ inhabited East and West Lobe Bonney at depths of 30 m. Redundancy analysis revealed that community variation of bacterioplankton could be explained by the distinct conditions of each lake and depth; in particular, assemblages from layers beneath the chemocline had biogeochemical associations that differed from those in the upper layers. These patterns of community composition may represent bacterial adaptations to the extreme and unique biogeochemical gradients of ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/emi.2017.19.issue-610.1111/1462-2920.13721}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.13721}, author = {Kwon, Miye and Kim, Mincheol and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Lee, Jaejin and Hong, Soon Gyu and Kim, Sang Jong and John C. Priscu and Kim, Ok-Sun} } @article {3917, title = {Dissolved black carbon in Antarctic lakes: chemical signatures of past and present sources}, journal = {Geophysical Research Letters}, year = {2016}, month = {06/2016}, abstract = {

The perennially ice-covered, closed-basin lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, serve as sentinels for understanding the fate of dissolved black carbon from glacial sources in aquatic ecosystems. Here we show that dissolved black carbon can persist in freshwater and saline surface waters for thousands of years, while preserving the chemical signature of the original source materials. The ancient brines of the lake bottom waters have retained dissolved black carbon with a woody chemical signature, representing long-range transport of black carbon from wildfires. In contrast, the surface waters are enriched in contemporary black carbon from fossil fuel combustion. Comparison of samples collected 25\ years apart from the same lake suggests that the enrichment in anthropogenic black carbon is recent. Differences in the chemical composition of dissolved black carbon among the lakes are likely due to biogeochemical processing such as photochemical degradation and sorption on metal oxides.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/2016GL068609}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/2016GL068609}, author = {Khan, Alia L. and Jaff{\'e}, Rudolf and Ding, Yan and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {3714, title = {Evidence for dispersal and habitat controls on pond diatom communities from the McMurdo Sound Region of Antarctica}, journal = {Polar Biology}, year = {2016}, month = {02/2016}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0722-4060}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-016-1901-6}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00300-016-1901-6http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00300-016-1901-6http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00300-016-1901-6.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-016-1901-6/fulltext.html}, author = {Sakaeva, A. and Eric R. Sokol and Tyler J. Kohler and Lee F. Stanish and Sarah A. Spaulding and Howkins, Adrian and Kathleen A. Welch and W. Berry Lyons and John E. Barrett and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4025, title = {Impact of diurnal freeze{\textendash}thaw cycles on the soil nematode Scottnema lindsayae in Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {39}, year = {2016}, month = {04/2016}, pages = {583 - 592}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0722-4060}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-015-1809-6}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-015-1809-6}, author = {Matthew Knox and Diana H. Wall and Ross A. Virginia and Martijn L. Vandegehuchte and Inigo San Gil and Byron Adams} } @article {3710, title = {Microbial Mat Communities along an Oxygen Gradient in a Perennially Ice-Covered Antarctic Lake}, journal = {Applied and Environmental Microbiology}, volume = {82}, year = {2016}, month = {01/2016}, pages = {620 - 630}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0099-2240}, doi = {10.1128/AEM.02699-15}, url = {http://aem.asm.org/lookup/doi/10.1128/AEM.02699-15}, author = {Jungblut, Anne D. and Ian Hawes and Mackey, Tyler J. and Krusor, Megan and Peter T. Doran and Sumner, Dawn Y. and Eisen, Jonathan A. and Hillman, Colin and Goroncy, Alexander K.}, editor = {Stams, A. J.} } @article {3959, title = {Nutrient treatments alter microbial mat colonization in two glacial meltwater streams from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {FEMS Microbiology Ecology}, volume = {92}, year = {2016}, month = {03/2016}, pages = {fiw049}, abstract = {

Microbial mats are abundant in many alpine and polar aquatic ecosystems. With warmer temperatures, new hydrologic pathways are developing in these regions and increasing dissolved nutrient fluxes. In the McMurdo Dry Valleys, thermokarsting may release both nutrients and sediment, and has the potential to influence mats in glacial meltwater streams. To test the role of nutrient inputs on community structure, we created nutrient diffusing substrata (NDS) with agar enriched in N, P and N + P, with controls, and deployed them into two Dry Valley streams. We found N amendments (N and N + P) to have greater chlorophyll-a concentrations, total algal biovolume, more fine filamentous cyanobacteria and a higher proportion of live diatoms than other treatments. Furthermore, N treatments were substantially elevated in Bacteroidetes and the small diatom,\ Fistulifera pelliculosa. On the other hand, species richness was almost double in P and N + P treatments over others, and coccoid green algae and Proteobacteria were more abundant in both streams. Collectively, these data suggest that nutrients have the potential to stimulate growth and alter community structure in glacial meltwater stream microbial mats, and the recent erosion of permafrost and accelerated glacial melt will likely impact resident biota in polar lotic systems here and elsewhere.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiw049}, url = {http://femsec.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/doi/10.1093/femsec/fiw049}, author = {Tyler J. Kohler and David J. Van Horn and Darling, Joshua P. and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Diane M. McKnight}, editor = {Wagner, Dirk} } @article {3958, title = {Patterns of bacterial biodiversity in the glacial meltwater streams of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {FEMS Microbiology Ecology}, volume = {92}, year = {2016}, month = {08/2016}, pages = {fiw148}, abstract = {

Microbial consortia dominate glacial meltwater streams from polar regions, including the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), where they thrive under physiologically stressful conditions. In this study, we examined microbial mat types and sediments found in 12 hydrologically diverse streams to describe the community diversity and composition within and across sites. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene from 129 samples revealed \∼24 000 operational taxonomic units (\<97\% DNA similarity), making streams the most biodiverse habitat in the MDV. Principal coordinate analyses revealed significant but weak clustering by mat type across all streams (ANOSIM R-statistic = 0.28) but stronger clustering within streams (ANOSIM R-statistic from 0.28 to 0.94). Significant relationships (P \< 0.05) were found between bacterial diversity and mat ash-free dry mass, suggesting that diversity is related to the hydrologic regimes of the various streams, which are predictive of mat biomass. However, correlations between stream chemistry and community members were weak, possibly reflecting the importance of internal processes and hydrologic conditions. Collectively, these results suggest that localized conditions dictate bacterial community composition of the same mat types and sediments from different streams, and while MDV streams are hotspots of biodiversity in an otherwise depauperate landscape, controls on community structure are complex and site specific.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiw148}, url = {http://femsec.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/doi/10.1093/femsec/fiw148}, author = {David J. Van Horn and Wolf, Caitlin R. and Colman, Daniel R. and Jiang, Xiaoben and Tyler J. Kohler and Diane M. McKnight and Lee F. Stanish and Yazzie, Terrill and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach} } @article {1061, title = {Photoadaptation to the polar night by phytoplankton in a permanently ice-covered Antarctic lake}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {61}, year = {2016}, month = {05/2015}, abstract = {

Photosynthetic microorganisms are a primary source of new organic carbon production in polar ecosystems. Despite their importance, relatively little is known about how they adapt to the bimodal solar cycles that exist at high latitudes. To understand how phytoplankton adapt to the extreme seasonal change in photoperiod, we transplanted cultures of a well-studied laboratory model for photosynthetic cold adaptation,\ Chlamydomonas raudensis\ UWO241, back to the water column of Lake Bonney (McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica) at the depth from which it was originally cultured. The organism was suspended at this depth in dialysis tubing to allow the microalga to respond to the in situ light, temperature and dissolved ions. We then integrated in situ biological and chemical measurements with environmental molecular analyses and compared the responses of transplanted\ C. raudensis\ cultures with the natural phytoplankton community over the 6-week transition from Antarctic summer (24-h daylight) to polar night (24-h darkness). As solar radiation declined, natural communities exhibited a cessation of inorganic carbon fixation which was accompanied by a downregulation of expression of genes encoding for essential carbon fixation and photochemistry proteins. Transplanted\ C. raudensis\ cultures matched natural community trends in the regulation of photochemistry and carbon fixation gene expression, and shifted photochemical function to a shade adapted state in response to the polar night transition. We present a conceptual model for seasonal shifts in microbial community energy and carbon acquisition which integrates past cultivation-based studies in this model photopsychrophile with a body of recent work on adaptation of natural populations to polar night.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/lno.10107}, url = {https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lno.10107}, author = {Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and Michael P. Lizotte and Weidong Kong and John C. Priscu} } @mastersthesis {4088, title = {Physiological characteristics of fungi associated with Antarctic environments}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2016}, school = {Montana State University}, type = {masters}, address = {Bozeman, MT}, abstract = {

The permanent ice covers on the lakes of Antarctica\&$\#$39;s McMurdo Dry Valleys region harbor a diverse group of phototrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms that metabolize during the short summer months when solar radiation produces melt inclusions within the ice and provides energy to drive photosynthesis. Laboratory cultures of fungi were obtained from ice cores taken from Lakes Bonney (east lobe) and Chad, and sediments collected from Subglacial Lake Whillans (West Antarctica). Using molecular techniques, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was sequenced to identify fungal types and to determine whether they may be unique to this region. Four axenic fungal cultures, Tetracladium ellipsoideum, Lecythophora hoffmannii, Mucor sp., and an unidentified Ascomycota were successfully isolated. These isolates are closely related to organisms that have been previously reported in Antarctica and other cold habitats. The isolates were tested for growth characteristics under various temperature and nutrient regimes. Temperature response experiments revealed that all the isolated fungi were psychrotolerant and growth rates were greatest at 25\°C. Of major significance in evaluating the potential of Antarctic fungi as a bioresource is their ability to produce bioactive compounds. Two out of four isolated organisms exhibited antimicrobial activity against several plant pathogens. The metabolic potential and preferred substrate utilization was examined by exposing fungal isolates to a variety of substrates in a 96 well \"Biolog\" plate. A strong correlation was found among substrate utilization, isolates, temperature and the different carbon substrates. This experiment revealed that the isolated fungi have preferences for different labile carbon substrates at 4\°C and 24\°C which may imply different physiologies at different times of year in the lake ice-covers. Results from my studies will help understand the role of fungi in lake ice and subglacial lake sediment ecosystems, and the physiology of fungi living in cold environments.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/handle/1/9835}, author = {Kudalkar, Priyanka S. and John C. Priscu} } @phdthesis {4098, title = {Quantifying sources, distribution, and processing of light absorbing aerosols in the cryosphere: A comparison of dissolved and refractory black carbon in polar and high mountain regions}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2016}, school = {University of Colorado}, type = {doctoral}, address = {Boulder, CO}, abstract = {

Light absorbing aerosols (LAAs) in snow and ice are one of the least understood parameters in global climate models due to complicated physical processes within the cryosphere and too few\ in situ\ observations. Ground observations are limited due to the difficulty of collecting and preserving samples for analysis from remote environments.
In order to help build a larger repository of ground observations, this dissertation explores the concentration and composition of black carbon (BC) in snow and glacial melt-water across the polar regions in the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as major mountain regions such as the Himalayas, Rockies, and Andes Mountains.

Three state-of-the-art methods for BC detection are applied in this dissertation. The first chapter identifies chemical signatures of past and present sources of dissolved black carbon (DBC) in Antarctic lakes, utilizing a DBC molecular marker method. Here we find that DBC with a woody signature is preserved in the deep, ancient brines of Antarctic lake bottom waters. In contrast, the surface waters are enriched in BC from fossil fuels. The second chapter, which also utilizes the DBC molecular marker

iii\ 

technique, explores DBC across the cryosphere. We show that DBC concentrations are surprisingly high in the bottom waters of Antarctic lakes compared to other remote regions of the cryosphere, even those located near point sources. Aged snow also contains higher DBC concentrations than fresh snow suggesting that dry deposition brings the majority of BC to the cryosphere. Additionally, the DBC composition across samples from the cryosphere are similar due to high amounts of solar exposure leading to photodegradation, except in fresh snow with a wildfire signature. The third and fourth chapters utilize the Single Particle Soot Photometer to measure refractory black carbon (rBC). The third chapter also applies spectral albedo measurements and the light absorption heating method to find that\ coal dust from an active mine in Svalbard, Norway significantly reduces the spectral reflectance of the surrounding Arctic surface snow.\ The fourth chapter reports aerosol rBC concentrations in the boundary layer of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, as well as in snow from the accumulation area of the Commonwealth Glacier. Here we determine that aerosol concentrations increase during high wind events, but there is no significant trend in deposition in the snow pit. This could be due to sporadic deposition during katabatic wind events.

These findings support the importance of real\ in-situ\ observations in order to fully understand the role of BC in the global carbon cycle. It is also evident that local environmental processes can control the concentrations and composition of BC in the cryosphere. These ground-based measurements will likely serve as ground validation for future remote sensing of snow/ice impurities and LAAs deposition models.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, applied sciences, black carbon, cryosphere, earth sciences, glacial melt, health and environmental sciences, light absorbing aerosols, polar regions, snow}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/docview/1834518541?accountid=14503}, author = {Khan, Alia L. and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {3921, title = {Ultrastructural and Single-Cell-Level Characterization Reveals Metabolic Versatility in a Microbial Eukaryote Community from an Ice-Covered Antarctic Lake}, journal = {Applied and Environmental Microbiology}, volume = {82}, year = {2016}, month = {06/2016}, pages = {3659 - 3670}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MCM) of southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, harbor numerous ice-covered bodies of water that provide year-round liquid water oases for isolated food webs dominated by the microbial loop. Single-cell microbial eukaryotes (protists) occupy major trophic positions within this truncated food web, ranging from primary producers (e.g., chlorophytes, haptophytes, and cryptophytes) to tertiary predators (e.g., ciliates, dinoflagellates, and choanoflagellates). To advance the understanding of MCM protist ecology and the roles of MCM protists in nutrient and energy cycling, we investigated potential metabolic strategies and microbial interactions of key MCM protists isolated from a well-described lake (Lake Bonney). Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) of enrichment cultures, combined with single amplified genome/amplicon sequencing and fluorescence microscopy, revealed that MCM protists possess diverse potential metabolic capabilities and interactions. Two metabolically distinct bacterial clades (Flavobacteria\ and\ Methylobacteriaceae) were independently associated with two key MCM lake microalgae (Isochrysis\ and\ Chlamydomonas, respectively). We also report on the discovery of two heterotrophic nanoflagellates belonging to the Stramenopila supergroup, one of which lives as a parasite ofChlamydomonas, a dominate primary producer in the shallow, nutrient-poor layers of the lake.

IMPORTANCE\ Single-cell eukaryotes called protists play critical roles in the cycling of organic matter in aquatic environments. In the ice-covered lakes of Antarctica, protists play key roles in the aquatic food web, providing the majority of organic carbon to the rest of the food web (photosynthetic protists) and acting as the major consumers at the top of the food web (predatory protists). In this study, we utilized a combination of techniques (microscopy, cell sorting, and genomic analysis) to describe the trophic abilities of Antarctic lake protists and their potential interactions with other microbes. Our work reveals that Antarctic lake protists rely on metabolic versatility for their energy and nutrient requirements in this unique and isolated environment.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0099-2240}, doi = {10.1128/AEM.00478-16}, url = {http://aem.asm.org/lookup/doi/10.1128/AEM.00478-16}, author = {Li, Wei and Podar, Mircea and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss}, editor = {Kelly, R. M.} } @article {3223, title = {Accumulation and marine forcing of ice dynamics in the western Ross Sea during the last~deglaciation}, journal = {Nature Geoscience}, volume = {8}, year = {2015}, month = {Jan-07-2016}, pages = {625 - 628}, abstract = {

The grounding line of the ice sheet in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, retreated between the Last Glacial Maximum and the present. However, the timing of the retreat and the interplay of factors controlling ice stability in this region1\ remain uncertain. Here we use 180 radiocarbon dates to reconstruct the chronology of moraine construction on the headlands adjacent to western McMurdo Sound. On the basis of these dates we then assess the timing of ice expansion and retreat in the Ross drainage system that is fed from both the East and West Antarctic ice sheets. We find that grounded ice in the western Ross Sea achieved its greatest thickness and extent during the last termination, between 12,800 and 18,700 years ago. Maximum ice thickness at our site coincides with a period of high accumulation as recorded by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core2. Recession of the ice sheet from the headland moraines began about 12,800 years ago, despite continued high accumulation and the expansion of land-based glaciers at this time. We therefore suggest that the grounding-line retreat reflects an increased marine influence as sea levels rose and the ocean warmed. We suggest that future instability in the ice sheet grounding line may occur whenever the ocean forcing is stronger than forcing from accumulation.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {1752-0894}, doi = {10.1038/ngeo2478}, url = {http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/ngeo2478}, author = {Brenda L. Hall and George H. Denton and Heath, Stephanie L. and Margaret S. Jackson and Koffman, Tobias N. B.} } @article {3475, title = {Fostering ecological data sharing: collaborations in the International Long Term Ecological Research Network}, journal = {Ecosphere}, volume = {6}, year = {2015}, month = {10/2015}, abstract = {

The International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER) Network was established in 1993 and is now composed of thirty-eight national networks representing a diversity of ecosystems around the globe. Data generated by the ILTER Network are valuable for scientists addressing broad spatial and temporal scale research questions, but only if these data can be easily discovered, accessed, and understood. Challenges to publishing ILTER data have included unequal distribution among networks of information management expertise, user-friendly tools, and resources. Language and translation have also been issues. Despite these significant obstacles, ILTER information managers have formed grassroots partnerships and collaborated to provide information management training, adopt a common metadata standard, develop information management tools useful throughout the network, and organize scientist/information manager workshops that encourage scientists to share and integrate data. Throughout this article, we share lessons learned from the successes of these grassroots international partnerships to inform others who wish to collaborate internationally on projects that depend on data sharing entailing similar management challenges.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {2150-8925}, doi = {10.1890/ES14-00281.1}, url = {http://www.esajournals.org/doi/10.1890/ES14-00281.1}, author = {Vanderbilt, Kristin L. and Lin, Chau-Chin and Lu, Sheng-Shan and Kassim, Abd Rahman and He, Honglin and Guo, Xuebing and Inigo San Gil and Blankman, David and Porter, John H.} } @article {3711, title = {The genus Luticola D.G.Mann (Bacillariophyta) from the McMurdo Sound Region, Antarctica, with the description of four new species}, journal = {Phytotaxa}, volume = {208}, year = {2015}, month = {10/2015}, pages = {103}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.11646/phytotaxa.208.2.1}, url = {https://www.biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.208.2.1}, author = {Tyler J. Kohler and Kopalov{\'a}, Kate{\v r}ina and Bart Van de Vijver and J. Patrick Kociolek} } @article {3715, title = {Global environmental change and the nature of aboveground net primary productivity responses: insights from long-term experiments}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {177}, year = {2015}, month = {04/2015}, pages = {935 - 947}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0029-8549}, doi = {10.1007/s00442-015-3230-9}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00442-015-3230-9http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00442-015-3230-9}, author = {Smith, Melinda D. and La Pierre, Kimberly J. and Collins, SL and Knapp, Alan K. and Gross, Katherine L. and John E. Barrett and Frey, Serita D. and Gough, Laura and Miller, Robert J. and Morris, James T. and Rustad, Lindsey E. and Yarie, John} } @article {3721, title = { Long-Term Hydrologic Control of Microbial Mat Abundance in McMurdo Dry Valley Streams, Antarctica.}, journal = {Ecosystems}, volume = {18}, year = {2015}, month = {03/2015}, pages = {310-327}, chapter = {310}, abstract = {

Given alterations in global hydrologic regime, we examine the role of hydrology in regulating stream microbial mat abundance in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Here, perennial mats persist as a desiccated crust until revived by summer streamflow, which varies inter-annually, and has increased since the 1990s. We predicted high flows to scour mats, and intra-seasonal drying to slow growth. Responses were hypothesized to differ based on mat location within streams, along with geomorphology, which may promote (high coverage) or discourage (low coverage) accrual. We compared hydrologic trends with the biomass of green and orange mats, which grow in the channel, and black mats growing at stream margins for 16 diverse stream transects over two decades. We found mat biomass collectively decreased during first decade coinciding with low flows, and increased following elevated discharges. Green mat biomass showed the greatest correlations with hydrology and was stimulated by discharge in high coverage transects, but negatively correlated in low coverage due to habitat scour. In contrast, orange mat biomass was negatively related to flow in high coverage transects, but positively correlated in low coverage because of side-channel expansion. Black mats were weakly correlated with all hydrologic variables regardless of coverage. Lastly, model selection indicated the best combination of predictive hydrologic variables for biomass differed between mat types, but also high and low coverage transects. These results demonstrate the importance of geomorphology and species composition to modeling primary production, and will be useful in predicting ecological responses of benthic habitats to altered hydrologic regimes.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs10021-014-9829-6}, author = {Tyler J. Kohler and Lee F. Stanish and Stenven Crisp and Koch, J. and Liptzin, D. and Baeseman, J. and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {3522, title = {Niche and metabolic principles explain patterns of diversity and distribution: theory and a case study with soil bacterial communities}, journal = {Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences}, volume = {282}, year = {2015}, month = {05/2015}, pages = {2630}, abstract = {

The causes of biodiversity patterns are controversial and elusive due to complex environmental variation, covarying changes in communities, and lack of baseline and null theories to differentiate straightforward causes from more complex mechanisms. To address these limitations, we developed general diversity theory integrating metabolic principles with niche-based community assembly. We evaluated this theory by investigating patterns in the diversity and distribution of soil bacteria taxa across four orders of magnitude variation in spatial scale on an Antarctic mountainside in low complexity, highly oligotrophic soils. Our theory predicts that lower temperatures should reduce taxon niche widths along environmental gradients due to decreasing growth rates, and the changing niche widths should lead to contrasting α- and β-diversity patterns. In accord with the predictions, α-diversity, niche widths and occupancies decreased while β-diversity increased with increasing elevation and decreasing temperature. The theory also successfully predicts a hump-shaped relationship between α-diversity and pH and a negative relationship between α-diversity and salinity. Thus, a few simple principles explained systematic microbial diversity variation along multiple gradients. Such general theory can be used to disentangle baseline effects from more complex effects of temperature and other variables on biodiversity patterns in a variety of ecosystems and organisms.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0962-8452}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2014.2630}, url = {http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/doi/10.1098/rspb.2014.2630}, author = {Okie, Jordan G. and David J. Van Horn and Storch, David and John E. Barrett and Michael N. Gooseff and Kopsova, Lenka and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach} } @phdthesis {4087, title = {Physical and chemical controls on the abundance and composition of stream microbial mats from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2015}, pages = {272}, school = {University of Colorado}, type = {doctoral}, address = {Boulder, CO}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are a cold, dry desert, yet perennial microbial mats are abundant in the ephemeral glacial meltwater streams that flow during austral summers. Three types of mats are present (orange, black, and green), and are primarily comprised of filamentous cyanobacteria,\ Nostoc, and chlorophytes, respectively. Mat types furthermore occupy distinct habitats within streams, utilizing the benthos, hyporheic zone, and water column, which expose them to different environmental conditions. Due to a lack of lateral inflows, allochthonous organic inputs, and negligible grazing activity, these streams are ideal for the controlled ecological study of microbial mats. Here, I investigated how mats will respond to physical disturbance, alterations in the hydrologic regime, and nutrient liberation from permafrost melt in the future. Specifically, I: 1) quantified and characterized the regrowth of mat biomass, community structure, and elemental stoichiometry after a scouring disturbance, 2) investigated how geomorphology and taxonomic identity influences the response of mat biomass to hydrologic regime in transects monitored over two decades, and 3) evaluated relationships between water chemistry and the elemental and isotopic composition of mat types over longitudinal and valley-wide gradients in Taylor Valley. I found that mats recovered ~20-50\% of their biomass over the course of an austral summer following scour. Algal communities were significantly different in composition between disturbed and control treatments, but all samples naturally varied in species and elemental stoichiometry over the study period. When the long- term record of mat biomass was compared with hydrologic variables, stream channel mats (orange and green) had the greatest correlations, while marginal mats (black) showed weaker relationships with flow regime. Relationships also differed as a function of stream geomorphology, indicating the importance of substrata and gradient in conjunction with discharge. Lastly, mats showed unique elemental and isotopic compositions. Green and orange mats within the stream channel most reflected water column nutrient concentrations, while black mats showed significant nitrogen fixation. These results highlight the importance of taxonomic identity and habitat to modeling primary production here and elsewhere, and provide insight to how stream microbial mat communities are formed, maintained, and ultimately persist in an isolated polar desert.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, algae, Antarctica, biological sciences, climate change, Disturbance, earth sciences, McMurdo Dry Valleys, microbial mats}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/docview/1690497718?accountid=14503}, author = {Tyler J. Kohler}, editor = {Diane M. McKnight} } @article {3712, title = {Potential for real-time understanding of coupled hydrologic and biogeochemical processes in stream ecosystems: Future integration of telemetered data with process models for glacial meltwater streams}, journal = {Water Resources Research}, volume = {51}, year = {2015}, month = {08/2015}, pages = {6725 - 6738}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/2015WR017618}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/2015WR017618http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002\%2F2015WR017618}, author = {Diane M. McKnight and Cozzetto, K and Cullis, James D.S. and Michael N. Gooseff and Chris Jaros and Koch, J. and W. Berry Lyons and Neupauer, R. M. and Wlostowski, Adam} } @article {3213, title = {Reconstructing the evolution of Lake Bonney, Antarctica using dissolved noble gases}, journal = {Applied Geochemistry}, volume = {58}, year = {2015}, month = {Jan-07-2015}, pages = {46 - 61}, abstract = {

Lake Bonney (LB), located in Taylor valley, Antarctica, is a perennially ice-covered lake with two lobes, West Lake Bonney (WLB) and East Lake Bonney (ELB), which are separated by a narrow ridge. Numerous studies have attempted to reconstruct the evolution of LB because of its sensitivity to climatic variations and the lack of reliable millennial-scale continental records of climate in this region of Antarctica. However, these studies are limited by the availability of accurate lacustrine chronologies. Here, we attempt to better constrain the chronology of LB and thus, the evolution of past regional climate by estimating water residence times based on He, Ne and Ar concentrations and isotopic ratios in both WLB and ELB.

3He and\ 4He excesses up to two and three orders of magnitude and 35\–150 times the atmospheric values are observed for WLB and ELB samples, respectively. In comparison, while measured\ 40Ar/36Ar ratios are atmospheric (\∼295.5) in ELB, WLB samples display\ 40Ar/36Ar ratios of up to \∼315 reflecting addition of radiogenic\ 40Ar. Both4He and\ 40Ar excesses clearly identify the addition of subglacial discharge (SGD) from underneath Taylor Glacier into WLB at depths of 25\ m and 35\ m. He isotopic ratios suggest that He excesses are predominantly crustal (\>93\%) in origin with small mantle contributions (\<7\%). These crustal\ 4He and\ 40Ar excesses are used together with basement rock production rates of these isotopes to derive first-order approximations of water residence times for both lobes. Numerous factors capable of affecting water residence times are evaluated and corrected\ 4He and\ 40Ar water ages are used to place further constrains into the reconstruction of both WLB and ELB history. Combined\ 4He and\ 40Ar ages in WLB suggest maximum water residence times of \∼250\ kyrs BP. These results support the presence of remnant water from proglacial lakes that existed during Marine Isotope Stage 7 (160\–240\ kyrs) in WLB, in agreement with previous studies. In comparison,\ 4He ages in ELB are much younger (\<27\ kyrs BP) and display a complex evolutionary history that is very different from WLB.\ 4He ages also suggest that the ELB ice cover formed significantly earlier (\∼1.5\ kyrs BP) than previously reported. The timing of these hydrologic changes in ELB appears to correspond to regional and global climatic events that are recorded in both the Taylor Dome ice-core record as well as in other Dry Valley Lakes.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {08832927}, doi = {10.1016/j.apgeochem.2015.02.013}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S088329271500044Xhttp://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S088329271500044X?httpAccept=text/xmlhttp://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S088329271500044X?httpAccept=text/plain}, author = {Warrier, Rohit B. and Clara M. Castro and Chris M. Hall and Kenig, Fabien and Peter T. Doran} } @article {3215, title = {Recovery of Antarctic stream epilithon from simulated scouring events}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {27}, year = {2015}, month = {Jan-08-2015}, pages = {341 - 354}, abstract = {

Microbial mats are common in polar streams and often dominate benthic biomass. Climate change may be enhancing the variability of stream flows in the Antarctic, but so far studies investigating mat responses to disturbance have been limited in this region. Mat regrowth was evaluated following disturbance by experimentally scouring rocks from an ephemeral McMurdo Dry Valley stream over two summers (2001\–02 and 2012\–13). Mats were sampled at the beginning and resampled at the end of the flow season. In 2012\–13, mats were additionally resampled mid-season along with previously undisturbed controls. In 2001\–02 rocks regained 47\% of chlorophyll\ aand 40\% of ash-free dry mass by the end of the summer, while in 2012\–13 rocks regrew 18\% and 27\%, respectively. Mat stoichiometry differed between summers, and reflected differences in biomass and discharge.\ Oscillatoria\ spp. were greatest on scoured rocks and\ Phormidium\ spp. on undisturbed rocks. Small diatoms\ Humidophila\ andFistulifera\ spp. increased throughout the summer in all mats, with the latter more abundant in scoured communities. Collectively, these data suggest that mats are variable intra-annually, responsive to hydrology and require multiple summers to regrow initial biomass once lost. These results will aid the interpretation of long-term data, as well as inform Antarctic Specially Managed Area protocols.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0954-1020}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102015000024}, url = {http://www.journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0954102015000024}, author = {Tyler J. Kohler and Ethan Chatfield and Michael N. Gooseff and John E. Barrett and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {3222, title = {A roadmap for Antarctic and Southern Ocean science for the next two decades and beyond}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {27}, year = {2015}, month = {Jan-02-2015}, pages = {3 - 18}, abstract = {

Antarctic and Southern Ocean science is vital to understanding natural variability, the processes that govern global change and the role of humans in the Earth and climate system. The potential for new knowledge to be gained from future Antarctic science is substantial. Therefore, the international Antarctic community came together to \‘scan the horizon\’ to identify the highest priority scientific questions that researchers should aspire to answer in the next two decades and beyond. Wide consultation was a fundamental principle for the development of a collective, international view of the most important future directions in Antarctic science. From the many possibilities, the horizon scan identified 80 key scientific questions through structured debate, discussion, revision and voting. Questions were clustered into seven topics: i) Antarctic atmosphere and global connections, ii) Southern Ocean and sea ice in a warming world, iii) ice sheet and sea level, iv) the dynamic Earth, v) life on the precipice, vi) near-Earth space and beyond, and vii) human presence in Antarctica. Answering the questions identified by the horizon scan will require innovative experimental designs, novel applications of technology, invention of next-generation field and laboratory approaches, and expanded observing systems and networks. Unbiased, non-contaminating procedures will be required to retrieve the requisite air, biota, sediment, rock, ice and water samples. Sustained year-round access to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean will be essential to increase winter-time measurements. Improved models are needed that represent Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in the Earth System, and provide predictions at spatial and temporal resolutions useful for decision making. A co-ordinated portfolio of cross-disciplinary science, based on new models of international collaboration, will be essential as no scientist, programme or nation can realize these aspirations alone

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0954-1020}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102014000674}, url = {http://www.journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0954102014000674}, author = {Kennicutt, M.C. and Steven L. Chown and Cassano, J.J. and Liggett, D. and Lloyd S. Peck and Massom, R. and Rintoul, S.R. and Storey, J. and Vaughan, D.G. and Wilson, T.J. and Allison, I. and Ayton, J. and Badhe, R. and Baeseman, J. and Barrett, P.J. and Elanor R. Bell and Bertler, N. and Bo, S. and Brandt, A. and David Bromwich and Craig S Cary and Clark, M.S. and Peter Convey and Costa, E.S. and Cowan, D. and Deconto, R. and Dunbar, R. and Elfring, C. and Escutia, C. and Francis, J. and Fricker, H.A. and Fukuchi, M. and Gilbert, N. and Gutt, J. and Havermans, C. and Hik, D. and Hosie, G. and Jones, C. and Kim, Y.D. and Le Maho, Y. and Lee, S.H. and Leppe, M. and Leitchenkov, G. and Li, X. and Lipenkov, V. and Lochte, K. and L{\'o}pez-Mart{\'\i}nez, J. and {\"u}decke, C. and W. Berry Lyons and Marenssi, S. and Miller, H. and Morozova, P. and Naish, T. and Nayak, S. and Ravindra, R. and Retamales, J. and Ricci, C.A. and Rogan-Finnemore, M. and Ropert-Coudert, Y. and Samah, A.A. and Sanson, L. and Scambos, T. and I.R. Schloss and Shiraishi, K. and Siegert, M.J. and Sim{\~o}es, J.C. and Storey, B. and Sparrow, M.D. and Diana H. Wall and Walsh, J.C. and Wilson, G. and Winther, J.G. and J.C. Xavier and Yang, H. and Sutherland, W.J.} } @article {3218, title = {Ecological Biogeography of the Terrestrial Nematodes~of Victoria Land, Antarctica}, journal = {ZooKeys}, volume = {419}, year = {2014}, month = {06/2015}, pages = {29 - 71}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {1313-2989}, doi = {10.3897/zookeys.419.7180}, url = {http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=3899}, author = {Byron Adams and Diana H. Wall and Ross A. Virginia and Broos, Emma and Matthew Knox} } @article {1062, title = {Radiocarbon abundance and reservoir effects in lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {59}, year = {2014}, month = {05/2014}, pages = {811-826}, chapter = {811}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Kenig, Fabien and Lawson Knoepfle and Jill A. Mikucki and W. Berry Lyons} } @article {3206, title = {Spring thaw ionic pulses boost nutrient availability and microbial growth in entombed Antarctic Dry Valley cryoconite holes}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {5}, year = {2014}, month = {12/2014}, abstract = {

The seasonal melting of ice entombed cryoconite holes on McMurdo Dry Valley glaciers provides oases for life in the harsh environmental conditions of the polar desert where surface air temperatures only occasionally exceed 0\°C during the Austral summer. Here we follow temporal changes in cryoconite hole biogeochemistry on Canada Glacier from fully frozen conditions through the initial stages of spring thaw toward fully melted holes. The cryoconite holes had a mean isolation age from the glacial drainage system of 3.4 years, with an increasing mass of aqueous nutrients (dissolved organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus) with longer isolation age. During the initial melt there was a mean nine times enrichment in dissolved chloride relative to mean concentrations of the initial frozen holes indicative of an ionic pulse, with similar mean nine times enrichments in nitrite, ammonium, and dissolved organic matter. Nitrate was enriched twelve times and dissolved organic nitrogen six times, suggesting net nitrification, while lower enrichments for dissolved organic phosphorus and phosphate were consistent with net microbial phosphorus uptake. Rates of bacterial production were significantly elevated during the ionic pulse, likely due to the increased nutrient availability. There was no concomitant increase in photosynthesis rates, with a net depletion of dissolved inorganic carbon suggesting inorganic carbon limitation. Potential nitrogen fixation was detected in fully melted holes where it could be an important source of nitrogen to support microbial growth, but not during the ionic pulse where nitrogen availability was higher. This study demonstrates that ionic pulses significantly alter the timing and magnitude of microbial activity within entombed cryoconite holes, and adds credence to hypotheses that ionic enrichments during freeze-thaw can elevate rates of microbial growth and activity in other icy habitats, such as ice veins and subglacial regelation zones

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2014.00694}, url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00694/abstract}, author = {Telling, J. and Alexandre M. Anesio and Martyn Tranter and Andrew G Fountain and Thomas H. Nylen and Hawkings, Jon and Singh, Virendra B. and Kaur, Preeti and Musilova, Michaela and Wadham, J. L.} } @article {3211, title = {Carbon Sequestration and Release from Antarctic Lakes: Lake Vida and West Lake Bonney (McMurdo Dry Valleys)}, journal = {Aquatic Geochemistry}, volume = {19}, year = {2013}, month = {03/2013}, pages = {135 - 145}, abstract = {

Perennial ice covers on many Antarctic lakes have resulted in high lake inorganic carbon contents. The objective of this paper was to evaluate and compare the brine and CO2\ chemistries of Lake Vida (Victoria Valley) and West Lake Bonney (Taylor Valley), two lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (East Antarctica), and their potential consequences during global warming. An existing geochemical model (FREZCHEM-15) was used to convert measured molarity into molality needed for the FREZCHEM model, and this model added a new algorithm that converts measured DIC into carbonate alkalinity needed for the FREZCHEM model. While quite extensive geochemical information exists for ice-covered Taylor Valley lakes, such as West Lake Bonney, only limited information exists for the recently sampled brine of \>25\ m ice-thick Lake Vida. Lake Vida brine had a model-calculated pCO2\ =\ 0.60 bars at the field pH (6.20); West Lake Bonney had a model-calculated pCO2\ =\ 5.23\ bars at the field pH (5.46). Despite the high degree of atmospheric CO2supersaturation in West Lake Bonney, it remains significantly undersaturated with the gas hydrate, CO2\·6H2O, unless these gas hydrates are deep in the sediment layer or are metastable having formed under colder temperatures or greater pressures. Because of lower temperatures, Lake Vida could start forming CO2\·6H2O at lower pCO2\ values than West Lake Bonney; but both lakes are significantly undersaturated with the gas hydrate, CO2\·6H2O. For both lakes, simulation of global warming from current subzero temperatures (\−13.4\ \°C in Lake Vida and \−4.7\ \°C in West Lake Bonney) to 10\ \°C has shown that a major loss of solution-phase carbon as CO2\ gases and carbonate minerals occurred when the temperatures rose above 0\ \°C and perennial ice covers would disappear. How important these Antarctic CO2\ sources will be for future global warming remains to be seen. But a recent paper has shown that methane increased in atmospheric concentration due to deglaciation about 10,000\ years ago. So, CO2\ release from ice lakes might contribute to atmospheric gases in the future.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {1380-6165}, doi = {10.1007/s10498-012-9184-1}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10498-012-9184-1http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10498-012-9184-1}, author = {G. M. Marion and A. E. Murray and Wagner, Bernd and Christian H. Fritsen and Kenig, Fabien and Peter T. Doran} } @article {1115, title = {Bacteria and diatom co-occurrence patterns in microbial mats from polar desert streams}, journal = {Environmental Microbiology}, year = {2012}, month = {10/2012}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02872.x}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02872.x/abstract}, author = {Lee F. Stanish and Sean P. O{\textquoteright}Neill and Antonio Gonz{\'a}lez and Teresa M. Legg and Joseph Knelman and Diane M. McKnight and Sarah A. Spaulding and Diana R. Nemergut} } @article {3535, title = {Challenges to the Future Conservation of the Antarctic}, journal = {Science}, volume = {337}, year = {2012}, month = {Jan-07-2013}, pages = {158 - 159}, abstract = {

The Antarctic Treaty System, acknowledged as a successful model of cooperative regulation of one of the globe\&$\#$39;s largest commons (1), is under substantial pressure. Concerns have been raised about increased stress on Antarctic systems from global environmental change and growing interest in the region\&$\#$39;s resources (2,\ 3). Although policy-makers may recognize these challenges, failure to respond in a timely way can have substantial negative consequences. We provide a horizon scan, a systematic means for identifying emerging trends and assisting decision-makers in identifying policies that address future challenges (2,\ 3). Previous analyses of conservation threats in the Antarctic have been restricted to matters for which available evidence is compelling (4). We reconsider these concerns because they might escalate quickly, judging from recent rapid environmental change in parts of Antarctica and increasing human interest in the region (see the map). We then focus on a more distant time horizon.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0036-8075}, doi = {10.1126/science.1222821}, url = {http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.1222821}, author = {Steven L. Chown and Lee, J. E. and Hughes, K. A. and Barnes, J. and Barrett, P.J. and D.M. Bergstrom and Convey, P. and Cowan, Don A. and Crosbie, K. and Dyer, G. and Frenot, Y. and Grant, S. M. and Herr, D. and Kennicutt, M. C. and Lamers, M. and Murray, A. and Possingham, H. P. and Reid, K. and Riddle, M. J. and Ryan, P. G. and Sanson, L. and Shaw, J. D. and Sparrow, M.D. and Summerhayes, C. and Terauds, A. and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1118, title = {Diversity and Expression of RubisCO Genes in a Perennially Ice-Covered Antarctic Lake during the Polar Night Transition}, journal = {Applied and Environmental Microbiology}, volume = {78}, year = {2012}, month = {04/2012}, pages = {4358-4366}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://aem.asm.org/content/78/12/4358.short}, author = {Weidong Kong and David C. Ream and John C. Priscu and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {1110, title = {Evidence of form II RubisCO ( cbbM) in a perennially ice-covered Antarctic lake}, journal = {FEMS Microbiology Ecology}, volume = {82}, year = {2012}, month = {11/2012}, pages = {491 - 500}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01431.x}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01431.x/full}, author = {Weidong Kong and Jenna M. Dolhi and Amy Chiuchiolo and John C. Priscu and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {1116, title = {Extreme streams: flow intermittency as a control on diatom communities in meltwater streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences}, volume = {69}, year = {2012}, month = {08/2012}, pages = {1405 - 1419}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1139/f2012-022}, url = {http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/f2012-022$\#$.UH2NlWcnq9g}, author = {Lee F. Stanish and Tyler J. Kohler and Rhea M.M. Esposito and Breana L. Simmons and Uffe N. Nielsen and Diana H. Wall and Diana R. Nemergut and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {1104, title = {The geochemistry of upland ponds, Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {24}, year = {2012}, month = {2/2012}, pages = {3 - 14}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102011000617}, url = {http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online\&aid=8483351}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and Kathleen A. Welch and Christopher B. Gardner and Chris Jaros and Daryl L. Moorhead and Knoepfle, J and Peter T. Doran} } @article {3528, title = {Microbial life at -13 ~C in the brine of an ice-sealed Antarctic lake}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {109}, year = {2012}, month = {12/2012}, pages = {20626 - 20631}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0027-8424}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1208607109}, url = {http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1208607109}, author = {A. E. Murray and Kenig, Fabien and Christian H. Fritsen and Christopher P. McKay and Kaelin M. Cawley and R. L. Edwards and Kuhn, Emanuele and Diane M. McKnight and Nathaniel E Ostrom and Vivian Peng and Adrian Ponce and John C. Priscu and Samarkin, Vladimir A. and Ashley T Townsend and Protima Wagh and Seth A Young and Pung To Yung and Peter T. Doran} } @book {1123, title = {Poisson Reconstruction of Extreme Submersed Environments: The ENDURANCE Exploration of an Under-Ice Antarctic Lake}, series = {Advances in Visual Computing. ISVC 2012. Lecture Notes in Computer Science.}, volume = {7431}, year = {2012}, pages = {394 - 403}, publisher = {Springer Berlin Heidelberg}, organization = {Springer Berlin Heidelberg}, address = {Berlin, Heidelberg}, abstract = {

We evaluate the use of Poisson reconstruction to generate a 3D bathymetric model of West Lake Bonney, Antarctica. The source sonar dataset has been collected by the ENDURANCE autonomous ve- hicle in the course of two Antarctic summer missions. The reconstruction workflow involved processing 200 million datapoints to generate a high resolution model of the lake bottom, Narrows region and underwater glacier face. A novel and flexible toolset has been developed to automate the processing of the Bonney data.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, isbn = {978-3-642-33179-4}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-33179-4_38}, url = {http://www.springerlink.com/content/hg97w43588229087/}, author = {Alessandro Febretti and Kristof Richmond and Gulati, Shilpa and Flesher, Christopher and Hogan, Bartholomew P. and Andrew Johnson and Stone, William C. and John C. Priscu and Peter T. Doran}, editor = {Bebis, George and Boyle, Richard and Parvin, Bahram and Koracin, Darko and Fowlkes, Charless and Wang, Sen and Choi, Min-Hyung and Mantler, Stephan and Schulze, J{\"u}rgen and Acevedo, Daniel and Mueller, Klaus and Papka, Michael} } @article {1124, title = {Taylor{\textquoteright}s {\textquoteleft}missing{\textquoteright} lake: Integrating history into LTER research in the McMurdo Dry Valley}, volume = {2013}, year = {2012}, publisher = {LTER News}, address = {Albuquerque}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://news.lternet.edu/Article2568.html}, author = {Khan, A and Howkins, Adrian and W. Berry Lyons} } @article {1136, title = {A diatom record of environmental change in Fryxell Basin, Taylor Valley, Antarctica, late Pleistocene to present}, journal = {Journal of Paleolimnology}, volume = {46}, year = {2011}, month = {08/2011}, pages = {257 - 272}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1007/s10933-011-9537-6}, url = {http://www.springerlink.com/content/y3483576u8220081/}, author = {Matthew A. Konfirst and Charlotte Sjunneskog and Reed P. Scherer and Peter T. Doran} } @article {1127, title = {The Holocene environmental history of Lake Hoare, Taylor Valley, Antarctica, reconstructed from sediment cores}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {23}, year = {2011}, month = {6/2011}, pages = {307 - 319}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102011000125}, url = {http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online\&aid=8275374}, author = {Wagner, Bernd and Ortlepp, Sabrina and Peter T. Doran and Kenig, Fabien and Melles, Martin and Andy Burkemper} } @article {1125, title = {Protist diversity in a permanently ice-covered Antarctic Lake during the polar night transition}, journal = {The ISME Journal}, volume = {5}, year = {2011}, month = {9/2011}, pages = {1559 - 1564}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/ismej.2011.23}, url = {http://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/v5/n9/abs/ismej201123a.html}, author = {Scott Bielewicz and Elanor R. Bell and Weidong Kong and Iddo Friedberg and John C. Priscu and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {1129, title = {Simulating unsteady flow, anabranching, and hyporheic dynamics in a glacial meltwater stream using a coupled surface water routing and groundwater flow model}, journal = {Water Resources Research}, volume = {47}, year = {2011}, month = {2011}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1029/2010WR009508}, author = {Koch, J. and Diane M. McKnight and Neupauer, R. M.} } @article {1157, title = {Design and deployment of a four-degrees-of-freedom hovering autonomous underwater vehicle for sub-ice exploration and mapping}, journal = {Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part M: Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment}, volume = {224}, year = {2010}, month = {11/2010}, pages = {341 - 361}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1243/14750902JEME214}, author = {Stone, W and Bartholomew P Hogan and Flesher, C and Gulati, S and Kristof Richmond and Murarka, A and Kuhlman, G and Idharan, M and Siegel, V and Price, R M and Peter T. Doran and John C. Priscu} } @article {4816, title = {Effect of unsteady flow on nitrate loss in an oligotrophic, glacial meltwater stream}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research}, volume = {115}, year = {2010}, month = {03/2010}, pages = {G01001}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are among the coldest, driest ecosystems on Earth. During the austral summer, glacial meltwater supports cyanobacterial mat communities in some streams, but they are not ubiquitous. We conducted a nitrate (NO3-) enrichment tracer injection in Huey Creek to quantify NO3- loss in a Dry Valley stream where algal mats would not obscure hyporheic microbial processes. Unsteady streamflow led to diel variability in the tracer concentration and in surface/subsurface water and solute exchange. Subsequently, concentrations of NO3-, nitrite (NO2-), ammonium (NH4+), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) varied significantly during the injection, with a net loss of NO3-, NO2-, and DOC, and production of nitrous oxide. These mass changes within a reach were often coincident with high streamflows. Reactivity also coincided with the highest DOC concentrations, suggesting that DOC is the primary limitation to heterotrophic microbial activity in the stream. Together, streamflow and DOC availability create the hot spots and hot moments that dominate NO3- reactivity and removal in this polar desert ecosystem. The combination of spatially and temporally variable hyporheic dynamics and solute availability underscore the limitations of common nutrient uptake metrics and transient storage models when unsteady flow conditions exist.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, hot spots/hot moments, hyporheic exchange, nitrogen cycling, unsteady flow}, doi = {10.1029/2009JG001030}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1029/2009JG001030}, author = {Koch, J. and Diane M. McKnight and Baeseman, J.} } @phdthesis {4190, title = {Hydrologic and biogeochemical implications of flooding in two catchments underlain by continuous permafrost}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2010}, month = {2010}, pages = {206}, school = {University of Colorado}, type = {doctoral}, address = {Boulder, CO}, abstract = {

Flooding is a critical driver of ecosystem productivity. By rapidly increasing stream stage and velocity, floods mix water and solutes from the stream, hyporheic zone, and floodplains/riparian areas. Such mixing may spur biogeochemical activity. In catchments underlain by permafrost, flooding is more common due to both the potential for rapid ice melting and minimal storage potential in frozen soils. High latitude environments are often underlain by permafrost and are also areas of biogeochemical interest, due to large stores of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), and the potential for rapid cycling. The increased complexity in groundwater/surface water hydrology during floods requires rigorous hydrologic analysis before biogeochemical trends can be correctly interpreted. This research aims to accurately quantify the hydrology and biogeochemical cycling of C and N in two high-latitude catchments utilizing stream tracer additions, synoptic sampling, and surface water (sw), groundwater (gw), and coupled sw/gw flow models.

Two catchments, in Alaska and Antarctica represent very different ecosystems, both characterized by continuous permafrost and shallow aquifers. In Antarctica, coupled surface water/groundwater flow modeling and tracer additions identify sources of DOC (dissolved organic carbon) and locations of denitrification. Mass balance calculations identify heightened water/sediment interactions at high flows, and increased C and N uptake when solutes return to the stream during low flows. In Alaska, discharge correlates to DOC and nitrate concentrations, indicating leaching and flushing of organic material from the hillslope during high discharge, with a greater potential for microbial processing of this organic material during low flows. Multiple tracer additions demonstrate a seasonal trend, with the greatest C and N uptake early in the summer, potentially related to shallower flowpaths.

Differences between discharge, flooding, and C and N cycling in these two catchments indicate the importance of stream size and morphology. Using tracer dilution and major ion and uranium isotope chemistry, we identify preferential flow near and beneath the stream, indicating erosion of the stream bed via soil piping and thermokarsting. We propose that channel evolution will lead to decreased stream/catchment interactions and subsequently decreased C and N uptake potential in these high-latitude catchments.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, carbon, catchments, earth sciences, flooding, nitrogen, permafrost, surface-groundwater interactions}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/docview/839008865}, author = {Koch, J. and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {1167, title = {New insights into the origin and evolution of Lake Vida, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica {\textemdash} A noble gas study in ice and brines}, journal = {Earth and Planetary Science Letters}, volume = {289}, year = {2010}, month = {01/2010}, pages = {112 - 122}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1016/j.epsl.2009.10.034}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X09006335}, author = {Jessica L. Malone and Clara M. Castro and Chris M. Hall and Peter T. Doran and Kenig, Fabien and Christopher P. McKay} } @article {1149, title = {Origin and tentative identification of tri to pentaunsaturated ketones in sediments from Lake Fryxell, East Antarctica}, journal = {Organic Geochemistry}, volume = {41}, year = {2010}, month = {4/2010}, pages = {386 - 397}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1016/j.orggeochem.2009.12.004}, author = {Jaraula, Caroline M.B. and Brassell, Simon C. and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and Peter T. Doran and Kenig, Fabien} } @article {1158, title = {Palaeoenvironmental implications derived from a piston core from east lobe Bonney, Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {22}, year = {2010}, month = {10/2010}, pages = {522 - 530}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102010000556}, author = {Wagner, Bernd and Ortlepp, Sabrina and Kenig, Fabien and Peter T. Doran and Melles, Martin} } @conference {1164, title = {Toward autonomous scientific exploration of ice-covered lakes{\textemdash}Field experiments with the ENDURANCE AUV in an Antarctic Dry Valley}, booktitle = {2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2010)2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2010}, month = {05/2010}, pages = {308 - 315}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Anchorage, AK}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, isbn = {978-1-4244-5038-1}, doi = {10.1109/ROBOT.2010.5509224}, author = {Gulati, S and Kristof Richmond and Flesher, C and Bartholomew P Hogan and Murarka, A and Gregory Kuhlmann and Mohan Sridharan and Stone, W and Peter T. Doran} } @article {1197, title = {Accelerate Synthesis in Ecology and Environmental Sciences.}, journal = {Bioscience}, volume = {59}, year = {2009}, pages = {699-701}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Carpenter, S and Lundberg, P and Mangel, M and Merchant, N and Murdoch, W and Palmer, M and Debra P. C. Peters and Pickett, S and Smith, K and Diana H. Wall and Maggie K. Zimmerman and Armbrust, E and Arzberger, E and F. S. Chapin and Elser, J and Hackett, E and Ives, A and Kareiva, P and Leibold, M} } @article {1185, title = {Composition and Biodegradation of a Synthetic Oil Spilled on the Perennial Ice Cover of Lake Fryxell, Antarctica}, journal = {Environmental Science \& Technology}, volume = {43}, year = {2009}, pages = {2708-2713}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Jaraula, C and Kenig, Fabien and Peter T. Doran and John C. Priscu and Kathleen A. Welch} } @article {1181, title = {Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {54 part 2}, year = {2009}, month = {11/2009}, pages = {2298{\textendash}2314}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.4319/lo.2009.54.6_part_2.2298}, url = {http://aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_54/issue_6_part_2/2298.pdf}, author = {Lars J. Tranvik and John A. Downing and James B. Cotner and Steven A. Loiselle and Robert G. Striegl and Thomas J. Ballatore and Peter Dillon and Kerri Finlay and Kenneth Fortino and Lesley B. Knoll and Pirkko L. Kortelainen and Tiit Kutser and Soren Larsen and Isabelle Laurion and Dina M. Leech and S. Leigh McCallister and Diane M. McKnight and John M. Melack and Erin Overholt and Jason A. Porter and Yves Prairie and William H. Renwick and Fabio Roland and Bradford S. Sherman and David W. Schindler and Sebastian Sobek and Alain Tremblay and Michael J. Vanni and Antonie M. Verschoor and Eddie von Wachenfeldt and Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer} } @article {1191, title = {Particulate organic and dissolved inorganic carbon stable isotopic compositions in Taylor Valley lakes, Antarctica: the effect of legacy}, journal = {Hydrobiologia}, volume = {632}, year = {2009}, pages = {139-156}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Knoepfle, J and Peter T. Doran and Kenig, Fabien and W. Berry Lyons and Galchenko, V} } @inbook {1206, title = {Antarctic subglacial water: origin, evolution, and ecology}, booktitle = {Polar Lakes and Rivers: Limnology of Arctic and Antarctic Aquatic Ecosystems}, year = {2008}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, organization = {Oxford University Press}, address = {Oxford}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {John C. Priscu and Tulaczyk, S and Studinger, M and Kenicutt, M and Brent C. Christner and Christine M. Foreman} } @article {1212, title = {Entry approach into pristine ice-sealed lakes - Lake Vida, East Antarctica, a model ecosystem}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography-Methods}, volume = {6}, year = {2008}, pages = {542-547}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Christian H. Fritsen and A. E. Murray and Kenig, Fabien and Christopher P. McKay and Kyne, J} } @article {1202, title = {Global decomposition experiment shows soil animal impacts on decomposition are climate dependent}, journal = {Global Change Biology}, volume = {14}, year = {2008}, month = {11/2008}, pages = {2661-2677}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01672.x}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01672.x/full}, author = {Diana H. Wall and Mark A. Bradford and Mark G. StJohn and John A. Trofymow and Valerie Behan-Pelletier and David E. Bignell and J. Mark Dangerfield and William J. Parton and Josef Rusek and Winfried Voigt and Volkmar Wolters and Holley Zadeh Gardel and Fred O. Ayuke and Richard Bashford and Olga I. Beljakova and Patrick J. Bohlen and Alain Brauman and Stephen Flemming and Joh R. Henschel and Dan L. Johnson and T. Hefin Jones and Marcela Kovarova and J. Marty Kranabetter and Les Kutny and Kuo-Chuan Lin and Mohamed Maryati and Dominique Masse and Andrei Pokarzhevskii and Homathevi Rahman and Millor G. Sabara and Joerg-Alfred Salamon and Michael J. Swift and Amanda Varela and Heraldo L. Vasconcelos and Don White and Xiaming Zou} } @article {1216, title = {Inland diatoms from the McMurdo Dry Valleys and James Ross Island, Antarctica}, journal = {Botany-Botanique}, volume = {12}, year = {2008}, pages = {1378-1392}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Rhea M.M. Esposito and Sarah A. Spaulding and Diane M. McKnight and De Vijver, B and Kopalova, K and Lubinski, D and Brenda L. Hall and Whittaker, T} } @article {1223, title = {SPME-GCMS study of the natural attenuation of aviation diesel spilled on the perennial ice cover of Lake Fryxell, Antarctica}, journal = {Science of the Total Environment}, volume = {407}, year = {2008}, pages = {250-262}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Jaraula, C and Kenig, Fabien and Peter T. Doran and John C. Priscu and Kathleen A. Welch} } @article {1224, title = {Stoichiometry of soil enzyme activity at global scale.}, journal = {Ecology Letters}, volume = {11}, year = {2008}, pages = {1252-1264}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Sinsabaugh, R and Gallo, M and Gartner, T and Hobbie, S and Holland, K and Keeler, B and Powers, J and Stursova, M and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Waldrop, M and Wallenstein, M and Lauber, M and Zak, D and Lydia H. Zeglin and Weintraub, M and Ahmed, B and Allison, S and Crenshaw, C and Contosta, A and Cusack, D and Frey, S} } @article {1269, title = {Glacial and postglacial sedimentation in the Fryxell basin, Taylor Valley, Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica}, journal = {Palaeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology}, volume = {341}, year = {2006}, pages = {320}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Wagner, B and Melles, M and Peter T. Doran and Kenig, Fabien and Forman, S and Pierau, R and Allan, P} } @mastersthesis {1314, title = {Mathematical Modeling of a Hydrocarbon Spill on the Ice Cover of Lake Fryxell, Antarctica}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2005}, month = {06/2005}, pages = {114}, school = {The Ohio State University}, type = {masters}, address = {Columbus}, abstract = {

Numerous perennially ice-covered lakes exist in the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica. Ice cover melting on these lakes and meltwater infiltration are important processes affecting the ecology of these lakes. The three lakes in Taylor Valley, Lakes Bonney, Fryxell and Hoare, have been investigated since 1993 as part of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER) site. A Bell 212 helicopter flying in support of the National Science Foundation\&$\#$39;s Antarctic Research Program crashed on the frozen surface of Lake Fryxell on January 17, 2003. This resulted in the release of approximately 731 Liters (193 gallons) of diesel fuel and amounts of engine oil and hydraulic fluid. Two physically based models are developed that simulate heat, meltwater flow and solute transport. The first is a transient, one-dimensional, thermodynamic model, which can predict the temperature distribution in the ice cover, melting rate at the surface and at the bottom of ice cover, and ice thickness. The second model simulates unsaturated flow and solute transport and is used to estimate water content distribution and solute transport through the ice cover. The validation of heat transport model was accomplished by comparing model results with the original measurements of ice temperature at various depth in Lake Fryxell. Because of lack of the field data, validation of the unsaturated flow and solute transport model couldn\&$\#$39;t been accomplished, instead of model validation, programming code has been verified by comparing results with results generated by the HYDRUS 1D software, developed by U.S. Salinity Laboratory, USDA.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Marinko Karnovic and Anne E. Carey and Scott E. Bair and van der Veen, Cornelis} } @inbook {1307, title = {Polar Systems}, booktitle = {Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Current State and Trends: Findings of the Condition and Trends Working Group}, year = {2005}, pages = {717-743}, publisher = {Island Press}, organization = {Island Press}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {F. S. Chapin and McGuire, A and Nuttall, M and Ross A. Virginia and Young, O and Zimov, S and Christensen, T and Godduhn, A and Murphy, E and Diana H. Wall and Zockler, C and Berman, M and Callaghan, T and Peter Convey and A. S. Crepin and Danell, K and Hugh W. Ducklow and Forbes, B and Kofinas, G}, editor = {R. Hassan and R. Scholes and N. Ash} } @article {1351, title = {Ecological linkages between aboveground and belowground biota.}, journal = {Science}, volume = {304}, year = {2004}, pages = {1629-1633}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Wardle, D and Richard D. Bardgett and Klironomos, J and Setala, H and van der Putten, W and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1334, title = {Identification of a psychrophilic green alga from Lake Bonney, Antarctica: Chlamydomonas raudensis ETTL. (UWO 241) (Chlorophyceae)}, journal = {Journal of Phycology}, volume = {40}, year = {2004}, pages = {1138-1148}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Pocock, T and Lachance, M and Proschold, T and John C. Priscu and Kim, S and Norman P.A. Huner} } @article {1343, title = {Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of benthic and pelagic organic matter in four polar lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Aquatic Geochemistry}, volume = {10}, year = {2004}, pages = {269-301}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Lawson, J and Peter T. Doran and Kenig, Fabien and David J. DesMarais and John C. Priscu} } @article {1345, title = {Thermodynamic constraints on microbially mediated processes in lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Geomicrobiology Journal}, volume = {21}, year = {2004}, pages = {1-17}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Lee, P and Jill A. Mikucki and Christine M. Foreman and John C. Priscu and G R DiTullio and Riseman, S and DeMora, S and Craig F. Wolf and Kester, L} } @article {1364, title = {Glaciers of the McMurdo Dry Valleys: terrestrial analog for Martian polar sublimation}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research}, volume = {108}, year = {2003}, pages = {5031}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Karen J. Lewis and Andrew G Fountain and Kargel, J and MacAyeal, D} } @article {1368, title = {Strontium isotopic signatures of the streams and lakes of Taylor Valley, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica: chemical weathering in a polar climate}, journal = {Aquatic Geochemistry}, volume = {8}, year = {2003}, pages = {875-895}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and C. A. Nezat and Benson, L and Bullen, T and Graham, E and Kidd, J and Kathleen A. Welch and Thomas, J} } @mastersthesis {1381, title = {Linkages between soils and lake ice sediments biogeochemistry: Taylor Valley, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2002}, school = {Montana State University}, type = {masters}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Konley, S} } @article {1384, title = {Synthetic aperture radar detection of the snowline on Commonwealth and Howard Glaciers, Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Annals of Glaciology}, volume = {34}, year = {2002}, pages = {177-183}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Bardel, P and Andrew G Fountain and Hall, D and Kwok, R} } @article {1405, title = {Mineralogical and geochemical analyses of Antarctic lake sediments: A study of reflectanceand Mossbauer spectroscopy and C, N and S isotopes with applications for remote sensing on Mars}, journal = {Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta}, volume = {65}, year = {2001}, pages = {2875-2897}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Bishop, Janice L. and Lougear, A and Newton, J and Peter T. Doran and Froeschl, H and Krner, W and Koeberl, C and Trautwein, A} } @article {1408, title = {Spectrofluorometric characterization of aquatic fulvic acid for determination of precursor organic material and general structural properties.}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {46}, year = {2001}, pages = {38-48}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diane M. McKnight and Elizabeth W. Boyer and Paul K. Westerhoff and Peter T. Doran and Thomas Kulbe and Dale T. Andersen} } @article {1430, title = {Fossil fuel burning in Taylor Valley, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica: estimating the role of scientific activities on carbon and nitrogen reservoirs and fluxes}, journal = {Environmental Science and Technology}, volume = {34}, year = {2000}, pages = {1659-1662}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and C. A. Nezat and Kathleen A. Welch and Kottmeier, S and Peter T. Doran} } @article {1441, title = {Global biodiversity scenarios for the year 2100}, journal = {Science}, volume = {287}, year = {2000}, pages = {1770-1774}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Osvaldo E. Sala and Kinzig, A and Leemans, R and Lodge, D and Mooney, H and Oesterheld, M and Poff, N and Sykes, M and Walker, B and Walkder, M and Diana H. Wall and F. S. Chapin and Armesto, J and Berlow, E and Bloomfield, J and Dirzo, R and Huber-Sanwald, E and Huenneke, L and Jackson, R} } @article {1445, title = {UV radiation and potential biological effects beneath the perennial ice cover of an antarctic lake}, journal = {Hydrobiologia}, volume = {427}, year = {2000}, pages = {155-165}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Kepner, R.L. and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and Collier, R and Cockell, C and Jeffrey, W} } @article {1452, title = {Ciliated protozoa of two antarctic lakes: analysis by quantitative protargol staining and examination of artificial substrates}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {21}, year = {1999}, pages = {285-294}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Kepner, R.L. and D.W. Coats and Robert A. Wharton Jr.} } @article {1457, title = {Effects of research diving on a stratified antarctic lake}, journal = {Water Research}, year = {1999}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Kepner, R.L. and A. Kortyna and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and Peter T. Doran and Dale T. Andersen and Emily C. Roberts} } @article {1459, title = {Geomicrobiology of sub-glacial ice above Vostok Station}, journal = {Science}, volume = {286}, year = {1999}, pages = {2141-2144}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1126/science.286.5447.2141}, author = {John C. Priscu and Edward E. Adams and W. Berry Lyons and Mary A. Voytek and David W. Mogk and Robert L. Brown and Christopher P. McKay and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Kathleen A. Welch and Craig F. Wolf and Julie D. Kirshtein and Recep Avci} } @article {1489, title = {The Composite Glacial Erosional Landscape of the Northern McMurdo Dry Valleys: Implications for Antarctic Tertiary Glacial History, in Ecosystem Processes in a Polar Desert: The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Research Series}, volume = {72}, year = {1998}, pages = {Jan-38}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Michael L. Prentice and Johan Kleman and Arjen P. Stroeven} } @article {1509, title = {McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER: Characterization of protozoan communities in lakes Hoare and Fryxell using artificial substrates}, journal = {Antarctic Journal of the United States - 1996 Review Issue (NSF 98-28)}, volume = {31}, year = {1998}, pages = {201-202}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Kepner, R.L. and Robert A. Wharton Jr.} } @article {1535, title = {Viruses in antarctic lakes}, journal = {Limnol. Oceanogr.}, volume = {43}, year = {1998}, pages = {1754-1761}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, author = {Kepner, R.L. and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and C. Suttle} } @inbook {1544, title = {The abundance of planktonic virus-like particles in Antarctic lakes}, booktitle = {Ecosystem Processes in Antarctic Ice-free Landscapes}, year = {1997}, pages = {241-250}, publisher = {Balkema Press}, organization = {Balkema Press}, address = {Rotterdam}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Kepner, R.L. and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and Galchenko, V} } @article {1580, title = {Reflectance spectroscopy and geochemical analyses of Lake Hoare sediments, Antarctica: Implications for remote sensing of the Earth and Mars}, journal = {Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta}, volume = {60}, year = {1996}, pages = {765-785}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Bishop, Janice L. and Koeberl, C and C. Kralik and H. Froschl}, editor = {P.A.J. Englert and Dale T. Andersen and C.M. Pieters and Robert A. Wharton Jr.} } @article {1584, title = {Viruses in antarctic lakes: a first assessment of their distribution}, journal = {Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America Supplement}, volume = {77}, year = {1996}, pages = {230}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Kepner, R.L. and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and Galchenko, V} }