@article {1187, title = {Interactions between physical and biotic factors influence CO_2 flux in Antarctic dry valley soils}, journal = {Soil Biology and Biochemistry}, volume = {41}, year = {2009}, pages = {1510-1517}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Ball, Becky and Ross A. Virginia and John E. Barrett and Andrew N. Parsons and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1211, title = {Effects of Human Trampling on Populations of Soil Fauna in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.}, journal = {Conservation Biology}, volume = {22}, year = {2008}, month = {12/2008}, pages = {1544-1551}, abstract = {

Antarctic ecosystems are often considered nearly pristine because levels of anthropogenic disturbance are extremely low there. Nevertheless, over recent decades there has been a rapid increase in the number of people, researchers and tourists, visiting Antarctica. We evaluated, over 10 years, the direct impact of foot traffic on the abundance of soil animals and soil properties in Taylor Valley within the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica. We compared soils from minimally disturbed areas with soils from nearby paths that received intermediate and high levels of human foot traffic (i.e., up to approximately 80 passes per year). The nematodes Scottnema lindsayae and Eudorylaimus sp. were the most commonly found animal species, whereas rotifers and tardigrades were found only occasionally. On the highly trampled footpaths, abundance of S. lindsayae and Eudorylaimus sp. was up to 52 and 76\% lower, respectively, than in untrampled areas. Moreover, reduction in S. lindsayae abundance was more pronounced after 10 years than 2 years and in the surface soil than in the deeper soil, presumably because of the longer period of disturbance and the greater level of physical disturbance experienced by the surface soil. The ratio of living to dead Eudorylaimus sp. also declined with increased trampling intensity, which is indicative of increased mortality or reduced fecundity. At one site there was evidence that high levels of trampling reduced soil CO2 fluxes, which is related to total biological activity in the soil. Our results show that even low levels of human traffic can significantly affect soil biota in this ecosystem and may alter ecosystem processes, such as carbon cycling. Consequently, management and conservation plans for Antarctic soils should consider the high sensitivity of soil fauna to physical disturbance as human presence in this ecosystem increases.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01034.x}, author = {Edward Ayres and Johnson N. Nkem and Diana H. Wall and Byron Adams and John E. Barrett and Broos, E and Andrew N. Parsons and Powers, Laura E. and Breana L. Simmons and Ross A. Virginia} } @article {1274, title = {Soil carbon turnover model for the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Soil Biology and Biochemistry}, volume = {38}, year = {2006}, pages = {3065-3082}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {John E. Barrett and Ross A. Virginia and Andrew N. Parsons and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1293, title = {Comment on {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}El Ni{\~n}o suppresses Antarctic warming{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} by N. Bertler et al.}, journal = {Geophysical Research Letters}, volume = {32}, year = {2005}, pages = {L07706}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Tropical meteorology}, doi = {10.1029/2004GL021716}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Gary D. Clow and Christian H. Fritsen and Christopher P. McKay and Andrew N. Parsons and John C. Priscu and W. Berry Lyons and Walsh, J and Andrew G Fountain and Diane M. McKnight and Daryl L. Moorhead and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1289, title = {Potential soil organic matter turnover in Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research}, volume = {37}, year = {2005}, month = {02/2005}, pages = {108-117}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {

Antarctic Dry Valley ecosystems are among the most inhospitable soil ecosystems on earth with simple food webs and nearly undetectable fluxes of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Due to the lack of vascular plants, soil organic matter concentrations are extremely low, and it is unclear how much of the contemporary soil C budget is actively cycling or a legacy of paleolake production and sedimentation. While recent work indicates multiple sources of organic matter for dry valley soils, the composition and kinetics of organic pools remain poorly characterized. We examined soil organic matter pools and potential C and N turnover in soils from within six sites located across three hydrological basins of Taylor Valley, Antarctica that differed in surface age, microclimate and proximity to legacy (paleolake) sources of organic matter. We estimated potential C and N mineralization, and rate kinetics using gas exchange and repeated leaching techniques during 90-d incubations of surface soils collected from valley basin and valley slope positions in three basins of Taylor Valley. Soil organic C content was negatively correlated with the ages of underlying tills, supporting previous descriptions of legacy organic matter. Carbon and N mineralization generally followed 1st order kinetics and were well described by exponential models. Labile pools of C (90 d) were 10\% of the total organic C in the upper 5 cm of the soil profile. Labile N was 50\% of the total N in surface soils of Taylor Valley. These results show that a large proportion of soil C and particularly N are mineralizable under suitable conditions and suggest that a kinetically defined labile pool of organic matter is potentially active in the field during brief intervals of favorable microclimate. Climate variation changing the duration of these conditions may have potentially large effects on the small pools of C and N in these soils.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1657/1523-0430(2005)037[0108:PSOMTI]2.0.CO;2}, url = {http://instaar.metapress.com/content/e653225425230175/}, author = {John E. Barrett and Ross A. Virginia and Andrew N. Parsons and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1342, title = {Soil carbon dioxide flux from Antarctic Dry Valley soils}, journal = {Ecosystems}, volume = {7}, year = {2004}, pages = {286-295}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Andrew N. Parsons and John E. Barrett and Diana H. Wall and Ross A. Virginia} } @article {1347, title = {Variation in biogeochemistry and soil biodiversity across spatial scales in a polar desert}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {85}, year = {2004}, pages = {3105-3118}, abstract = {
Desert ecosystems are characterized by distinct spatial patterning in soil
biogeochemistry and biodiversity. In the Antarctic Dry Valleys, soil polygons are prominent
features of the landscape and may be key units for scaling local ecological information to
the greater region. We examined polygon soils in each of the three basins of Taylor Valley,
Antarctica. Our objectives were to characterize variability in soil biogeochemistry and
biodiversity at local to regional scales, and to test the influence of soil properties upon
invertebrate communities. We found that soil biogeochemical properties and biodiversity
vary over multiple spatial scales from fine (,10 m) to broad (.10 km) scales. Differences
in biogeochemistry were most pronounced at broad scales among the major lake basins of
Taylor Valley corresponding to differences in geology and microclimate, while variation
in invertebrate biodiversity and abundance occurred at landscape scales of 10\–500 m, and
within individual soil polygons. Variation in biogeochemistry and invertebrate communities
across these scales reflects the influence of physical processes and landscape development
over ecosystem structure in the dry valleys. The development of soil polygons influences
the spatial patterning of soil properties such as soil organic matter, salinity, moisture, and
invertebrate habitat suitability. Nematode abundance and life history data indicate that
polygon interiors are more suitable habitats than soils in the troughs at the edges of polygons.
These data suggest that physical processes (i.e., polygon development) and biogeochemistry
are important influences on the spatial variability of biotic communities in dry valley soil
ecosystems.
}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1890/03-0213}, author = {John E. Barrett and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall and Andrew N. Parsons and Powers, Laura E. and Melody B. Burkins} } @article {1377, title = {Antarctic climate cooling and terrestrial ecosystem response}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {415}, year = {2002}, month = {01/2002}, pages = {517-520}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Climate Response}, doi = {10.1038/nature710}, author = {Peter T. Doran and John C. Priscu and W. Berry Lyons and John E. Walsh and Andrew G Fountain and Diane M. McKnight and Daryl L. Moorhead and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall and Gary D. Clow and Christian H. Fritsen and Christopher P. McKay and Andrew N. Parsons} } @article {1379, title = {Distribution and life cycle of Scottnema lindsayae (Nematoda) in Antarctic soils: A modeling analysis of tempaerature responses}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {25}, year = {2002}, pages = {118-125}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Daryl L. Moorhead and Diana H. Wall and Ross A. Virginia and Andrew N. Parsons} } @article {1382, title = {Recent Temperature Trends in the Antarctic}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {418}, year = {2002}, pages = {291-292}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {John E. Walsh and Gary D. Clow and Christian H. Fritsen and Christopher P. McKay and Andrew N. Parsons and Peter T. Doran and John C. Priscu and W. Berry Lyons and Andrew G Fountain and Diane M. McKnight and Daryl L. Moorhead and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1376, title = {Snow patch influence on soil biogeochemical processes and invertebrate distribution in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research}, volume = {35}, year = {2002}, month = {02/2003}, pages = {91-99}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1657/1523-0430(2003)035[0091:SPIOSB]2.0.CO;2}, url = {http://instaar.metapress.com/content/r086455ju7213711/}, author = {Michael N. Gooseff and John E. Barrett and Peter T. Doran and Andrew G Fountain and W. Berry Lyons and Andrew N. Parsons and Porazinska, D and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall} } @inbook {1407, title = {Soil Biodiversity}, booktitle = {Global Biodiversity in a Changing Environment}, year = {2001}, pages = {47-82}, publisher = {Springer Verlag}, organization = {Springer Verlag}, address = {New York}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diana H. Wall and Gina A. Adams and Andrew N. Parsons}, editor = {F. S. Chapin and Osvaldo E. Sala and E. Huber-Sannwald} } @inbook {1434, title = {The Lions of the Dry Valleys}, booktitle = {Antarctica}, year = {2000}, pages = {313}, publisher = {Lonely Planet Publications}, organization = {Lonely Planet Publications}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Diana H. Wall and Andrew N. Parsons} } @article {1447, title = {Physical controls on the Taylor Valley Ecosystem, Antarctica}, journal = {BioScience}, volume = {49}, year = {1999}, month = {12/1999}, pages = {961-972}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Water availability}, author = {Andrew G Fountain and W. Berry Lyons and Melody B. Burkins and Gayle L. Dana and Peter T. Doran and Karen J. Lewis and Diane M. McKnight and Daryl L. Moorhead and Andrew N. Parsons and John C. Priscu and Diana H. Wall and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and Ross A. Virginia} } @article {1542, title = {Open-top Designs for Manipulating Field Temperature in High-Latitude Ecosystems}, journal = {Global Change Biology}, volume = {3}, year = {1997}, month = {12/1997}, pages = {20-32}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2486.1997.gcb136.x}, author = {G. M. Marion and G.H.R. Henry and Diana W. Freckman and J. Johnstone and G. Jones and M.H. Jones and E. Levesque and U. Molau and P. M{\O}LGAARD and Andrew N. Parsons and J. Svoboda and Ross A. Virginia} }