@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 {5008, title = {A comprehensive survey of soil microbial diversity across the Antarctic continent}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {48}, year = {2025}, month = {02/2025}, abstract = {

Antarctic soils are unique from those found nearly anywhere else on Earth yet can still harbor a broad diversity of microorganisms able to tolerate the challenging conditions typical of the continent. For these reasons, microbiologists have been drawn to Antarctica for decades. However, our understanding of which microbes thrive in Antarctic soils and how they to do so remains limited. To help resolve these knowledge gaps, we analyzed a collection of 200 archived Antarctic soils\—from Livingston Island on the Antarctic Peninsula to Cape Hallett in northern Victoria Land. We analyzed the prokaryotic and fungal communities in these soils using both cultivation-independent marker gene sequencing and cultivation-dependent approaches (microbial isolation), paired with extensive soil geochemical analyses. Our cultivation-independent analyses indicate that colder, saltier, and drier soils harbor less diverse communities of bacteria and fungi, distinct from those found in soils with less challenging conditions. We also built a culture collection from a subset of these soils that encompasses more than 50 bacterial and fungal genera, including cold-tolerant organisms, such as \<i\>Cryobacterium\</i\> and \<i\>Cryomyces\</i\>. By directly comparing the diversity of our cultured isolates against our cultivation-independent data, we show that many of the more abundant Antarctic taxa are not readily cultivated and highlight bacterial and fungal taxa that should be the focus of future cultivation efforts. Together, we hope that our collection of isolates, the comprehensive data compiled from the cultivation-independent analyses, and our geochemical analyses will serve as a community resource to accelerate the study of Antarctic soil microbes.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, bacteria, fungi, microbial ecology, soils}, issn = {0722-4060}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-025-03372-y}, url = {https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00300-025-03372-y}, author = {Dragone, Nicholas B. and Childress, Mary K. and Vanderburgh, Caihong and Willmore, Rachel and Hogg, Ian D. and Sancho, Leopoldo G. and Charles K. Lee and John E. Barrett and Quandt, C. Alisha and LeMonte, Joshua J. and Adams, Byron J. and Noah Fierer} } @article {5015, title = {Morphology and distribution of bubble-supported microbial mats from ice-covered Antarctic lakes}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences}, volume = {130}, year = {2025}, month = {03/2025}, abstract = {

Gas bubbles directly influence the macromorphology of benthic microbial mats resulting in preservable biosedimentary structures. This study characterizes the morphology and distribution of microbial mats growing in gas-supersaturated, perennially ice-covered lakes Fryxell, Joyce, and Hoare of the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Photosynthetic benthic mats within the gas-supersaturated zone trap oxygen-rich bubbles and become buoyant, tearing off the bottom as \“liftoff mats.\” These liftoff mats form a succession of morphologies starting with bubble-induced deformation of flat mats into tent, ridge, and finger liftoff mat. With progressive deformation, mats tear, forming sheet liftoff, while multiple cycles of deformation and tearing transform sheet into strip liftoff. Some mats detach from the substrate and float to the underside of the ice. The depth range of the liftoff zone has varied over time at each lake. Downslope expansion of bubble formation brings previously bubble-free, deep-water pinnacle mats into the liftoff zone. When the liftoff zone shallows, liftoff mats at the deeper end deflate and can become scaffolding for additional mat growth. The superposition and relative orientation of liftoff and pinnacle mats can be used to track the maximum depth of the liftoff zone and changes in gas saturation state in these lakes through time. Our results demonstrate that gas bubbles, even when they are transitory, can exert a significant impact on the morphology of microbial mats at larger scales. This provides a way to identify similar structures and gas supersaturated environments in the biosedimentary record.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, biosediments, bubble-driven morphology, gas-supersaturation, ice-covered lakes, microbial mats}, issn = {2169-8953}, doi = {10.1029/2024JG008516}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JG008516}, author = {Juarez-Rivera, M. and Mackey, Tyler J. and Ian Hawes and Sumner, Dawn Y.} } @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 {5003, title = {Rethinking the lake history of Taylor Valley, Antarctica during the Ross Sea I glaciation}, journal = {Geosciences}, volume = {15}, year = {2025}, month = {01/2025}, pages = {9}, abstract = {

The Ross Sea I glaciation, marked by the northward advance of the Ross Ice Sheet (RIS) in the Ross Sea, east Antarctica, corresponds with the last major expansion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the last glacial period. During its advance, the RIS was grounded along the southern Victoria Land coast, completely blocking the mouths of several of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs). Several authors have proposed that very large paleolakes, proglacial to the RIS, existed in many of the MDVs. Studies of these large paleolakes have been key in the interpretation of the regional landscape, climate, hydrology, and glacier and ice sheet movements. By far the most studied of these large paleolakes is Glacial Lake Washburn (GLW) in Taylor Valley. Here, we present a comprehensive review of literature related to GLW, focusing on the waters supplying the paleolake, signatures of the paleolake itself, and signatures of past glacial movements that controlled the spatial extent of GLW. We find that while a valley-wide proglacial lake likely did exist in Taylor Valley during the early stages of the Ross Sea I glaciation, during later stages two isolated lakes occupied the eastern and western sections of the valley, confined by an expansion of local alpine glaciers. Lake levels above ~140 m asl were confined to western Taylor Valley, and major lake level changes were likely driven by RIS movements, with climate variables playing a more minor role. These results may have major implications for our understanding of the MDVs and the RIS during the Ross Sea I glaciation.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Glacial Lake Washburn, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Ross Ice Sheet, Ross Sea glaciation, Taylor Valley}, doi = {10.3390/geosciences15010009}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/1/9}, author = {Stone, Michael S. and Peter T. Doran and Myers, Krista F.} } @article {5023, title = {Soil biota sensitivity to hydroclimate variability in a polar desert ecosystem}, journal = {Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research}, volume = {57}, year = {2025}, month = {05/2025}, abstract = {

An anomalous warm weather event in the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys on 18 March 2022 created an opportunity to characterize soil biota communities most sensitive to freeze\–thaw stress. This event caused unseasonal melt within Taylor Valley, activating stream water and microbial mats around Canada Stream. Liquid water availability in this polar desert is a driver of soil biota distribution and activity. Because climate change impacts hydrological regimes, we aimed to determine the effect on soil communities. We sampled soils identified from this event that experienced thaw, nearby hyper-arid areas, and wetted areas that did not experience thaw to compare soil bacterial and invertebrate communities. Areas that exhibited evidence of freeze\–thaw supported the highest live and dead nematode counts and were composed of soil taxa from hyper-arid landscapes and wetted areas. They received water inputs from snowpacks, hyporheic water, or glacial melt, contributing to community differences associated with organic matter and salinity gradients. Inundated soils had higher organic matter and lower conductivity (p \<\ .02) and hosted the most diverse microbial and invertebrate communities on average. Our findings suggest that as liquid water becomes more available under predicted climate change, soil communities adapted to the hyper-arid landscape will shift toward diverse, wetted soil communities.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, climate variation, extreme weather, McMurdo Dry Valleys, microbial community, soil invertebrates}, issn = {1523-0430}, doi = {10.1080/15230430.2025.2485283}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15230430.2025.2485283}, author = {Snyder, Meredith D. and Adams, Byron J. and Borgmeier, Abigail and Jorna, Jesse and Power, Sarah N. and Salvatore, Mark R. and John E. Barrett} } @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 {4963, title = {Habitat suitability of biocrust communities in a cold desert ecosystem}, journal = {Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {14}, year = {2024}, month = {07/2024}, abstract = {

Drylands are unique among terrestrial ecosystems in that they have a significant proportion of primary production facilitated by non-vascular plants such as colonial cyanobacteria, moss, and lichens, i.e., biocrusts, which occur on and in the surface soil. Biocrusts inhabit all continents, including Antarctica, an increasingly dynamic continent on the precipice of change. Here, we describe in-situ field surveying and sampling, remote sensing, and modeling approaches to assess the habitat suitability of biocrusts in the Lake Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, which is the main site of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Soils suitable for the development of biocrusts are typically wetter, less alkaline, and less saline compared to unvegetated soils. Using random forest models, we show that gravimetric water content, electrical conductivity, and snow frequency are the top predictors of biocrust presence and biomass. Areas most suitable for the growth of dense biocrusts are soils associated with seasonal snow patches. Using geospatial data to extrapolate our habitat suitability model to the whole basin predicts that biocrusts are present in 2.7 \× 105\ m2 and contain 11\–72 Mg of aboveground carbon, based on the 90\% probability of occurrence. Our study illustrates the synergistic effect of combining field and remote sensing data for understanding the distribution and biomass of biocrusts, a foundational community in the carbon balance of this region. Extreme weather events and changing climate conditions in this region, especially those influencing snow accumulation and persistence, could have significant effects on the future distribution and abundance of biocrusts and therefore soil organic carbon storage in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, biocrust, carbon, dryland, habitat suitability, remote sensing, soil ecology}, issn = {2045-7758}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.v14.710.1002/ece3.11649}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/20457758/14/7}, author = {Power, Sarah N. and Thomas, Valerie A. and Salvatore, Mark R. and John E. Barrett} } @article {4940, title = {McMurdo Dry Valley lake edge {\textquoteleft}moats{\textquoteright}: The ecological intersection between terrestrial and aquatic polar desert habitat}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, year = {2024}, month = {04/2024}, pages = {1 - 17}, abstract = {

Aquatic ecosystems - lakes, ponds and streams - are hotspots of biodiversity in the cold and arid environment of Continental Antarctica. Environmental change is expected to increasingly alter Antarctic aquatic ecosystems and modify the physical characteristics and interactions within the habitats that they support. Here, we describe physical and biological features of the peripheral \‘moat\’ of a closed-basin Antarctic lake. These moats mediate connectivity amongst streams, lake and soils. We highlight the cyclical moat transition from a frozen winter state to an active open-water summer system, through refreeze as winter returns. Summer melting begins at the lakebed, initially creating an ice-constrained lens of liquid water in November, which swiftly progresses upwards, creating open water in December. Conversely, freezing progresses slowly from the water surface downwards, with water at 1 m bottom depth remaining liquid until May. Moats support productive, diverse benthic communities that are taxonomically distinct from those under the adjacent permanent lake ice. We show how ion ratios suggest that summer exchange occurs amongst moats, streams, soils and sub-ice lake water, perhaps facilitated by within-moat density-driven convection. Moats occupy a small but dynamic area of lake habitat, are disproportionately affected by recent lake-level rises and may thus be particularly vulnerable to hydrological change.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, connectivity, ecosystem, ice, microbial mats, transition}, issn = {0954-1020}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102024000087}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antarctic-science/article/mcmurdo-dry-valley-lake-edge-moats-the-ecological-intersection-between-terrestrial-and-aquatic-polar-desert-habitats/31D94DD51E651603482A3AE6E8A52A57}, author = {Stone, Michael S. and Devlin, Shawn and Ian Hawes and Kathleen A. Welch and Michael N. Gooseff and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and Byron Adams and John E. Barrett and John C. Priscu and Peter T. Doran} } @article {5002, title = {Measuring and modelling functional moat area in perennially ice-covered Lake Fryxell, Antarctica}, journal = {Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research}, volume = {56}, year = {2024}, month = {10/2024}, abstract = {

The perennially ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs), Antarctica, are an important reservoir of liquid water in an arid and largely frozen environment. During the austral summer, the margins of these ice covers melt, forming a \“moat\” of liquid water and thin ice, allowing exchange between lake waters and the atmosphere to occur and serving as an interface between lake, soil, and stream ecosystems. The size of these moats varies from year to year. Here, we have established the first published record of moat area changes at MDVs\’ Lake Fryxell through time using manual traces of the moat as observed via satellite imagery. We have also tested a semi-automated approach for measuring moat area and found that it consistently underestimated the manual record, which we suspect may be due to the lower spatial resolution of images used in this versus the manual approach. Finally, we developed a predictive model based on readily available climate data, allowing moat area to be predicted beyond the limits of the satellite-based records. We found that functional moat area varies annually, potentially influencing ecosystem processes in the moats.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Lake Fryxell, lake ice, McMurdo Dry Valleys, moat, NDWI, predictive model}, issn = {1523-0430}, doi = {10.1080/15230430.2024.2406626}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15230430.2024.2406626}, author = {Stone, Michael S. and Salvatore, Mark R. and Hilary A. Dugan and Myers, Madeline and Peter T. Doran} } @article {4928, title = {Remotely characterizing photosynthetic biocrust in snowpack-fed microhabitats of Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Science of Remote Sensing}, year = {2024}, month = {02/2024}, pages = {100120}, abstract = {

Microbial communities are the primary drivers of carbon cycling in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Dense microbial mats, consisting mainly of photosynthetic cyanobacteria, occupy aquatic areas associated with streams and lakes. Other microbial communities also occur at lower densities as patchy surface biological soil crusts (hereafter, biocrusts) across the terrestrial landscape. Multispectral satellite data have been used to model microbial mat abundance in high-density areas like stream and lake margins, but no previous studies have investigated the lower detection limits of biocrusts. Here, we describe remote sensing and field-based survey and sampling approaches to study the detectability and distribution of biocrusts in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Using a combination of multi- and hyperspectral tools and spectral linear unmixing, we modeled the abundances of biocrust in eastern Taylor Valley. Our spectral approaches can detect low masses of biocrust material in laboratory microcosms down to biocrust concentrations of 1\% by mass. These techniques also distinguish the spectra of biocrust from both surface rock and mineral signatures from orbit. We found that biocrusts are present throughout the soils of eastern Taylor Valley and are associated with diverse underlying soil communities. The densest biocrust communities identified in this study had total organic carbon 5x greater than the content of typical arid soils. The most productive biocrusts were located downslope of melting snowpacks in unique soil ecosystems that are distinct from the surrounding arid landscape. There are similarities between the snowpack and stream sediment communities (high diversity of soil invertebrates) as well as their ecosystem properties (e.g., persistence of liquid water, high transfer of available nutrients, lower salinity from flushing) compared to the typical arid terrestrial ecosystem of the dry valleys. Our approach extends the capability of orbital remote sensing of photosynthetic communities out of the aquatic margins and into the drier soils which comprise most of this landscape. This interdisciplinary work is critical for measuring and monitoring terrestrial carbon stocks and predicting future ecosystem dynamics in this currently water-limited but increasingly dynamic Antarctic landscape, which is particularly climate-sensitive and difficult to access.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, biocrust, carbon, reflectance spectroscopy, snow, soil ecology}, issn = {26660172}, doi = {10.1016/j.srs.2024.100120}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266601722400004X}, author = {Power, Sarah N. and Salvatore, Mark R. and Eric R. Sokol and Lee F. Stanish and Borges, Schuyler R. and Byron Adams and John E. Barrett} } @article {4989, title = {Response of a terrestrial polar ecosystem to the March 2022 Antarctic weather anomaly}, journal = {Earth{\textquoteright}s Future}, volume = {12}, year = {2024}, month = {08/2024}, pages = {e2023EF004306}, abstract = {

Record high temperatures were documented in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, on 18 March 2022, exceeding average temperatures for that day by nearly 30\°C. Satellite imagery and stream gage measurements indicate that surface wetting coincided with this warming more than 2 months after peak summer thaw and likely exceeded thresholds for rehydration and activation of resident organisms that typically survive the cold and dry conditions of the polar fall in a freeze-dried state. This weather event is notable in both the timing and magnitude of the warming and wetting when temperatures exceeded 0\°C at a time when biological communities and streams have typically entered a persistent frozen state. Such events may be a harbinger of future climate conditions characterized by warmer temperatures and greater thaw in this region of Antarctica, which could influence the distribution, activity, and abundance of sentinel taxa. Here we describe the ecosystem responses to this weather anomaly reporting on meteorological and hydrological measurements across the region and on later biological observations from Canada Stream, one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems within the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, atmospheric river, climate variability, extreme weather, polar desert, soil biota}, issn = {2328-4277}, doi = {10.1029/2023EF004306}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023EF004306}, author = {John E. Barrett and Adams, Byron J. and Doran, Peter T. and Hilary A. Dugan and Myers, Krista F. and Salvatore, Mark R. and Power, Sarah N. and Snyder, Meredith D. and Wright, Anna T. and Michael N. Gooseff} } @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 {4856, title = {Differentiating physical and biological storage of nitrogen along an intermittent Antarctic stream corridor}, journal = {Freshwater Science}, volume = {42}, year = {2023}, month = {09/2023}, abstract = {

In many temperate streams, biological uptake of N acts to attenuate the transport of excess N from allochthonous anthropogenic imports. Relatively few studies have determined how this N uptake relates to the magnitude of physical vs. biological N storage in the stream corridor, especially for intermittent systems where allochthonous N imports are often low and N transport may only occur during brief periods of streamflow. Glacial meltwater streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica provide an excellent setting to quantify autochthonous N cycling and storage processes supported by abundant algal mats and well-connected hyporheic zones. We combined historic point-scale sediment and periphyton sample datasets with remote sensing-based modeling of periphyton coverage to estimate how much N was stored in periphyton biomass and the hyporheic zone of a 5-km long McMurdo Dry Valley stream corridor (\>100,000 m2). We contextualized these N storage calculations by estimating the magnitude of annual N imports to and exports from the stream corridor based on \>2 decades of streamflow and surface water data, source glacier ice cores and meltwater data, and past studies of local aeolian deposition and biological N fixation rates. We found that in this highly oligotrophic system, stream corridor-scale N storage was ~1000x that of total annual N import or export fluxes. More than 90\% of this temporarily stored N was autochthonous organic matter in the shallow (\<10 cm) hyporheic zone, which acts as a reservoir that sustains N availability in the water column. Despite its location in a polar desert devoid of higher-order vegetation, area-normalized N storage (~40 g N/m2) was greater than that reported for streams at lower latitudes (~1\–22 g N/m2). We also demonstrated that NH4+ sorption to stream sediment may be an important physicochemical N storage mechanism that responds to short-term fluctuations in streamflow and governs the mobility of inorganic N. Altogether, this research illustrates the importance of quantifying N storage within stream corridors when evaluating the significance of internal cycling and physical retention processes that modulate N availability.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, hyporheic zone, McMurdo LTER, nitrogen cycling, nutrient budget, organic matter, periphyton}, issn = {2161-9549}, doi = {10.1086/725676}, url = {https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/725676}, author = {Singley, Joel G. and Salvatore, Mark R. and Michael N. Gooseff and Diane M. McKnight and Eve-Lyn S. Hinckley} } @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 {4833, title = {Ecological stoichiometry drives the evolution of soil nematode life history traits}, journal = {Soil Biology and Biochemistry}, volume = {177}, year = {2023}, month = {02/2023}, pages = {108891}, abstract = {

Ecological stoichiometry is a useful theoretical framework for understanding the sources and controls on nutrient availability that structure the composition and diversity of biotic communities. One such relationship is that organismal development rate is positively linked to cellular Phosphorus (P). We hypothesized that P availability, relative to other nutrients, e.g., nitrogen and carbon, would drive the evolution of traits associated with organismal growth and development. We examined the effects of P availability both in situ and in vitro, on free-living soil nematodes. We found that P-deficient environments produce predictable changes in the ecology and evolution of important life history traits. Our results identify altered rRNA gene copy number and subsequent changes in gene expression and protein synthesis as mechanisms by which P-deficiency influences these traits. These findings have important implications for explaining soil ecological and evolutionary patterns across multiple levels of organization, including the structure and functioning of organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, elemental stoichiometry, growth rate hypothesis, life history theory, molecular evolution, nematoda, rRNA}, doi = {10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108891}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038071722003480}, author = {Xue, Xia and Bishwo N. Adhikari and Ball, Becky and John E. Barrett and Miao, Jinxin and Perkes, Ammon and Martin, Mac and Breana L. Simmons and Diana H. Wall and Byron Adams} } @article {4867, title = {Long-term changes in concentration and yield of riverine dissolved silicon from the poles to the tropics}, journal = {Global Biogeochemical Cycles}, year = {2023}, month = {08/2023}, abstract = {

Riverine exports of silicon (Si) influence global carbon cycling through the growth of marine diatoms, which account for \∼25\% of global primary production. Climate change will likely alter river Si exports in biome-specific ways due to interacting shifts in chemical weathering rates, hydrologic connectivity, and metabolic processes in aquatic and terrestrial systems. Nonetheless, factors driving long-term changes in Si exports remain unexplored at local, regional, and global scales. We evaluated how concentrations and yields of dissolved Si (DSi) changed over the last several decades of rapid climate warming using long-term datasets from 60 rivers and streams spanning the globe (e.g., Antarctic, tropical, temperate, boreal, alpine, Arctic systems). We show that widespread changes in river DSi concentration and yield have occurred, with the most substantial shifts occurring in alpine and polar regions. The magnitude and direction of trends varied within and among biomes, were most strongly associated with differences in land cover, and were often independent of changes in river discharge. These findings indicate that there are likely diverse mechanisms driving change in river Si biogeochemistry that span the land-water interface, which may include glacial melt, changes in terrestrial vegetation, and river productivity. Finally, trends were often stronger in months outside of the growing season, particularly in temperate and boreal systems, demonstrating a potentially important role of shifting seasonality for the flux of Si from rivers. Our results have implications for the timing and magnitude of silica processing in rivers and its delivery to global oceans.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, biogeochemistry, river, silica, silicon, stream, trends}, issn = {0886-6236}, doi = {10.1029/2022GB007678}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022GB007678}, author = {Jankowski, Kathi Jo and Johnson, Keira and Sethna, Lienne and Julian, Paul and Wymore, Adam S. and Shogren, Arial J. and Thomas, Patrick K. and Sullivan, Pamela L. and Diane M. McKnight and McDowell, William H. and Heindel, Ruth C and Jones, Jeremy B. and Wollheim, Wilfred and Abbott, Benjamin and Deegan, Linda and Carey, Joanna C.} } @article {4865, title = {MacroSheds: A synthesis of long-term biogeochemical, hydroclimatic, and geospatial data from small watershed ecosystem studies}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography Letters}, volume = {8}, year = {2023}, month = {06/2023}, pages = {419 - 452}, abstract = {

The US Federal Government supports hundreds of watershed monitoring efforts from which solute fluxes can be calculated. Although instrumentation and methods vary between studies, the data collected and their motivating questions are remarkably similar. Nevertheless, little effort toward their compilation has previously been made. The MacroSheds project has developed a future-friendly system for harmonizing daily time series of streamflow, precipitation, and solute chemistry from 169+ watersheds, and supplementing each with watershed attributes. Here, we describe the breadth of MacroSheds data, and detail the steps involved in rendering each data product. We provide recommendations for usage and discuss when other datasets might be more suitable. The MacroSheds dataset is an unprecedented resource for watershed science, and for hydrology, as a small-watershed supplement to existing collections of streamflow predictors, like CAMELS and GAGES-II. The MacroSheds platform includes a web dashboard for visualization and an R package for data access and analysis.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {2378-2242}, doi = {10.1002/lol2.v8.310.1002/lol2.10325}, url = {https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lol2.10325}, author = {Vlah, Michael J. and Rhea, Spencer and Bernhardt, Emily S. and Slaughter, Weston and Gubbins, Nick and DelVecchia, Amanda G. and Thellman, Audrey and Ross, Matthew R. V.} } @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 {4767, title = {An Antarctic alga that can survive the extreme cold}, journal = {Frontiers for Young Minds}, volume = {10}, year = {2022}, month = {05/2022}, pages = {740838}, abstract = {

Microscopic algae are tougher than you might think. Some can even survive the extreme cold. In this article, we describe one of the coolest algae of all, the Antarctic green alga called Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241. This one-celled super-organism lives deep in the frigid waters of a remote and permanently ice-covered lake in Antarctica. How does this little alga thrive in such a barren and unwelcoming place? Well, dive into this article to learn how studying the genome of UWO241 is helping scientists better understand this amazingly hardy alga.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.3389/frym.2022.740838}, url = {https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2022.740838}, author = {Smith, David R. and Leung, Arthur and Zhang, Xi and Cvetkovska, Marina and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and H{\"u}ner, Norman P. A.} } @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 {4936, title = {Antibiotic resistance genes and taxa analysis from mat and planktonic microbiomes of Antarctic perennial ice-covered Lake Fryxell and Lake Bonney}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {34}, year = {2022}, month = {12/2022}, pages = {408 - 422}, abstract = {

The perennial ice-covered lakes of the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys harbour oligotrophic microbial communities that are separated geographically from other aquatic systems. Their microbiomes include planktonic microbes as well as lift-off mat communities that emerge from the ice. We used the ShortBRED protein family profiler to quantify the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from metagenomes of lift-off mats emerging from ice and from filtered water samples of Lake Fryxell and Lake Bonney. The overall proportion of ARG hits was similar to that found in temperate-zone rural ponds with moderate human inputs. Specific ARGs showed distinct distributions for the two lakes and for mat vs planktonic sources. Metagenomic taxa distributions showed that mat phototrophs consisted mainly of cyanobacteria or Betaproteobacteria, whereas the water column phototrophs were mainly protists. An enrichment culture of the Betaproteobacterium Rhodoferax antarcticus from a Lake Fryxell mat sample showed an unusual mat-forming phenotype not previously reported for this species. Its genome showed no ARGs associated with Betaproteobacteria but had ARGs consistent with a minor Pseudomonas component. The Antarctic lake mats and water showed specific ARGs distinctive to the mat and water sources, but overall ARG levels were similar to those of temperate water bodies with moderate human inputs.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, microbial mat, Rhodoferax, Taylor Valley}, issn = {0954-1020}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102022000360}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0954102022000360/type/journal_article}, author = {Tallada, Sheetal and Hall, Grant and Barich, Daniel and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and Slonczewski, Joan L.} } @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 {4818, title = {Cross-site comparisons of dryland ecosystem response to climate change in the US Long-Term Ecological Research Network}, journal = {BioScience}, year = {2022}, month = {08/2022}, abstract = {

Long-term observations and experiments in diverse drylands reveal how ecosystems and services are responding to climate change. To develop generalities about climate change impacts at dryland sites, we compared broadscale patterns in climate and synthesized primary production responses among the eight terrestrial, nonforested sites of the United States Long-Term Ecological Research (US LTER) Network located in temperate (Southwest and Midwest) and polar (Arctic and Antarctic) regions. All sites experienced warming in recent decades, whereas drought varied regionally with multidecadal phases. Multiple years of wet or dry conditions had larger effects than single years on primary production. Droughts, floods, and wildfires altered resource availability and restructured plant communities, with greater impacts on primary production than warming alone. During severe regional droughts, air pollution from wildfire and dust events peaked. Studies at US LTER drylands over more than 40 years demonstrate reciprocal links and feedbacks among dryland ecosystems, climate-driven disturbance events, and climate change.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, ANPP, climate change, Disturbance, drought, LTER, wildfire}, issn = {0006-3568}, doi = {10.1093/biosci/biab134}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biab134/6654840}, author = {Hudson, Amy R. and Debra P. C. Peters and J.M. Blair and Childers, Daniel L. and Peter T. Doran and Geil, Kerrie and Michael N. Gooseff and Gross, Katherine L. and Haddad, Nick M. and Pastore, Melissa A. and Rudgers, Jennifer A. and Osvaldo E. Sala and Seabloom, Eric W. and Shaver, Gaius} } @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 {4817, title = {Islands in the ice: Potential impacts of habitat transformation on Antarctic biodiversity}, journal = {Global Change Biology}, year = {2022}, month = {07/2022}, abstract = {

Antarctic biodiversity faces an unknown future with a changing climate. Most terrestrial biota is restricted to limited patches of ice-free land in a sea of ice, where they are adapted to the continent\&$\#$39;s extreme cold and wind and exploit microhabitats of suitable conditions. As temperatures rise, ice-free areas are predicted to expand, more rapidly in some areas than others. There is high uncertainty as to how species\&$\#$39; distributions, physiology, abundance, and survivorship will be affected as their habitats transform. Here we use current knowledge to propose hypotheses that ice-free area expansion (i) will increase habitat availability, though the quality of habitat will vary; (ii) will increase structural connectivity, although not necessarily increase opportunities for species establishment; (iii) combined with milder climates will increase likelihood of non-native species establishment, but may also lengthen activity windows for all species; and (iv) will benefit some species and not others, possibly resulting in increased homogeneity of biodiversity. We anticipate considerable spatial, temporal, and taxonomic variation in species responses, and a heightened need for interdisciplinary research to understand the factors associated with ecosystem resilience under future scenarios. Such research will help identify at-risk species or vulnerable localities and is crucial for informing environmental management and policymaking into the future.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, biodiversity, biotic homogenization, climate change, connectivity, ice-free, non-native species}, doi = {10.1111/gcb.16331}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.16331}, author = {Lee, Jasmine R. and Waterman, Melinda J. and Shaw, Justine D. and Bergstrom, Dana M. and Lynch, Heather J. and Diana H. Wall and Robinson, Sharon A.} } @article {4759, title = {Limits to the three domains of life: Lessons from community assembly along an Antarctic salinity gradient}, journal = {Extremophiles}, volume = {26}, year = {2022}, month = {04/2022}, pages = {15}, abstract = {

Extremophiles exist among all three domains of life; however, physiological mechanisms for surviving harsh environmental conditions differ among Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. Consequently, we expect that domain-specific variation of diversity and community assembly patterns exist along environmental gradients in extreme environments. We investigated inter-domain community compositional differences along a high-elevation salinity gradient in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Conductivity for 24 soil samples collected along the gradient ranged widely from 50 to 8355 \µS cm-1. Taxonomic richness varied among domains, with a total of 359 bacterial, 2 archaeal, 56 fungal, and 69 non-fungal eukaryotic operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Richness for bacteria, archaea, fungi, and non-fungal eukaryotes declined with increasing conductivity (all P\ \<\ 0.05). Principal coordinate ordination analysis (PCoA) revealed significant (ANOSIM R\ =\ 0.97) groupings of low/high salinity bacterial OTUs, while OTUs from other domains were not significantly clustered. Bacterial beta diversity was unimodally distributed along the gradient and had a nested structure driven by species losses, whereas in fungi and non-fungal eukaryotes beta diversity declined monotonically without strong evidence of nestedness. Thus, while increased salinity acts as a stressor in all domains, the mechanisms driving community assembly along the gradient differ substantially between the domains.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, inter-domain response, McMurdo Dry Valleys, salinity, species richness patterns}, doi = {10.1007/s00792-022-01262-3}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00792-022-01262-3}, author = {Jiang, Xiaoben and David J. Van Horn and Okie, Jordan G. and Heather N. Buelow and Schwartz, Egbert and Colman, Daniel R. and Feeser, Kelli L. and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach} } @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 {4776, title = {Organic matter distribution in the icy environments of Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Science of The Total Environment}, volume = {841}, year = {2022}, month = {10/2022}, pages = {156639}, abstract = {

Glaciers can accumulate and release organic matter affecting the structure and function of associated terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We analyzed 18 ice cores collected from six locations in Taylor Valley (McMurdo Dry Valleys), Antarctica to determine the spatial abundance and quality of organic matter, and the spatial distribution of bacterial density and community structure from the terminus of the Taylor Glacier to the coast (McMurdo Sound). Our results showed that dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC) concentrations in the ice core samples increased from the Taylor Glacier to McMurdo Sound, a pattern also shown by bacterial cell density. Fluorescence Excitation Emission Matrices Spectroscopy (EEMs) and multivariate parallel factor (PARAFAC) modeling identified one humic-like (C1) and one protein-like (C2) component in ice cores whose fluorescent intensities all increased from the Polar Plateau to the coast. The fluorescence index showed that the bioavailability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) also decreased from the Polar Plateau to the coast. Partial least squares path modeling analysis revealed that bacterial abundance was the main positive biotic factor influencing both the quantity and quality of organic matter. Marine aerosol influenced the spatial distribution of DOC more than katabatic winds in the ice cores. Certain bacterial taxa showed significant correlations with DOC and POC concentrations. Collectively, our results show the tight connectivity among organic matter spatial distribution, bacterial abundance and meteorology in the McMurdo Dry Valley ecosystem.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, bacteria, ice cores, katabatic wind, marine aerosol, organic matter}, issn = {00489697}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156639}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969722037366}, author = {Guo, Bixi and Li, Wei and Santib{\'a}{\~n}ez, Pamela and John C. Priscu and Liu, Yongqin and Liu, Keshao} } @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 {4735, title = {Ten scientific messages on risks and opportunities for life in the Antarctic}, year = {2022}, month = {02/2022}, institution = {Antarctic Environments Portal}, abstract = {

Initiated by the SCAR scientific research programme \“Antarctic Thresholds \– Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation\” (AnT-ERA, 2013-2021), 26 experts synthesized knowledge on impacts and risks of climate-change on biological processes and ecosystem functions in the Antarctic. The ten main scientific messages that emerged addressed (1) accelerating marine and terrestrial biogeochemical cycles, (2) response to ocean acidification, (3) ecological changes in climate change hot spots, (4) unexpected dynamism of marine seafloor communities, (5) biodiversity shifts, (6) low temperature limitation of protein synthesis, (7) life intrinsically linked to changing sea ice conditions, (8) pollution, (9) genetically distinct terrestrial populations under threat, and (10) newly discovered habitats. Two-thirds of the literature included in this synthesis was published between 2010 and 2020 and only one-third was published earlier. The fast mounting, recent decadal evidence indicates various Antarctic biological communities now experience climate stress, or will experience such stress in the coming decades. The responses of organisms, ecosystem functions and services to environmental changes are complex and varied. Key knowledge gaps remain and need addressing to adequately assess future prospects for life in the Antarctic.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {https://environments.aq/publications/ten-scientific-messages-on-risks-and-opportunities-for-life-in-the-antarctic/}, author = {Gutt, Julian and Isla, Enrique and Xavier, Jos{\'e} C. and Adams, Byron J. and Ahn, In-Young and Cheng, C.-H. Christina and Colesie, Claudia and Cummings, Vonda J. and Griffiths, Huw J. and Hogg, Ian D. and McIntyre, Trevor and Meiners, Klaus M. and Pearce, David A. and Lloyd S. Peck and Piepenburg, Dieter and Reisinger, Ryan R. and Saba, Grace and Schloss, Irene R. and Signori, Camila N. and Smith, Craig R. and Vacchi, Marino and Verde, Cinzia and Diana H. Wall} } @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 {4578, title = {Antarctic ecosystems in transition {\textendash} life between stresses and opportunities}, journal = {Biological Reviews}, year = {2021}, month = {06/2021}, abstract = {

Important findings from the second decade of the 21st century on the impact of environmental change on biological processes in the Antarctic were synthesised by 26 international experts. Ten key messages emerged that have stakeholder-relevance and/or a high impact for the scientific community. They address (i) altered biogeochemical cycles, (ii) ocean acidification, (iii) climate change hotspots, (iv) unexpected dynamism in seabed-dwelling populations, (v) spatial range shifts, (vi) adaptation and thermal resilience, (vii) sea ice related biological fluctuations, (viii) pollution, (ix) endangered terrestrial endemism and (x) the discovery of unknown habitats. Most Antarctic biotas are exposed to multiple stresses and considered vulnerable to environmental change due to narrow tolerance ranges, rapid change, projected circumpolar impacts, low potential for timely genetic adaptation, and migration barriers. Important ecosystem functions, such as primary production and energy transfer between trophic levels, have already changed, and biodiversity patterns have shifted. A confidence assessment of the degree of \‘scientific understanding\’ revealed an intermediate level for most of the more detailed sub-messages, indicating that process-oriented research has been successful in the past decade. Additional efforts are necessary, however, to achieve the level of robustness in scientific knowledge that is required to inform protection measures of the unique Antarctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and their contributions to global biodiversity and ecosystem services.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, adaptation, benthic dynamism, biogeochemical cycles, climate change, invasion, new habitats, ocean acidification, Primary production, range shifts, sea ice}, doi = {10.1111/brv.12679}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/brv.12679}, author = {Gutt, Julian and Isla, Enrique and Xavier, Jos{\'e} C. and Adams, Byron J. and Ahn, In-Young and Cheng, C.-H. Christina and Colesie, Claudia and Cummings, Vonda J. and di Prisco, Guido and Griffiths, Huw J. and Ian Hawes and Hogg, Ian D. and McIntyre, Trevor and Meiners, Klaus M. and Pearce, David A. and Lloyd S. Peck and Piepenburg, Dieter and Reisinger, Ryan R. and Saba, Grace and Schloss, Irene R. and Signori, Camila N. and Smith, Craig R. and Vacchi, Marino and Verde, Cinzia and Diana H. Wall} } @article {4627, title = {Connectivity: Insights from the U.S. Long Term Ecological Research Network}, journal = {Ecosphere}, volume = {12}, year = {2021}, month = {05/2021}, pages = {e03432}, abstract = {

Ecosystems across the United States are changing in complex and surprising ways. Ongoing demand for critical ecosystem services requires an understanding of the populations and communities in these ecosystems in the future. This paper represents a synthesis effort of the U.S. National Science Foundation-funded Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network addressing the core research area of \“populations and communities.\” The objective of this effort was to show the importance of long-term data collection and experiments for addressing the hardest questions in scientific ecology that have significant implications for environmental policy and management. Each LTER site developed at least one compelling case study about what their site could look like in 50\–100 yr as human and environmental drivers influencing specific ecosystems change. As the case studies were prepared, five themes emerged, and the studies were grouped into papers in this LTER Futures Special Feature addressing state change, connectivity, resilience, time lags, and cascading effects. This paper addresses the \“connectivity\” theme and has examples from the Phoenix (urban), Niwot Ridge (alpine tundra), McMurdo Dry Valleys (polar desert), Plum Island (coastal), Santa Barbara Coastal (coastal), and Jornada (arid grassland and shrubland) sites. Connectivity has multiple dimensions, ranging from multi-scalar interactions in space to complex interactions over time that govern the transport of materials and the distribution and movement of organisms. The case studies presented here range widely, showing how land-use legacies interact with climate to alter the structure and function of arid ecosystems and flows of resources and organisms in Antarctic polar desert, alpine, urban, and coastal marine ecosystems. Long-term ecological research demonstrates that connectivity can, in some circumstances, sustain valuable ecosystem functions, such as the persistence of foundation species and their associated biodiversity or, it can be an agent of state change, as when it increases wind and water erosion. Increased connectivity due to warming can also lead to species range expansions or contractions and the introduction of undesirable species. Continued long-term studies are essential for addressing the complexities of connectivity. The diversity of ecosystems within the LTER network is a strong platform for these studies.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, alpine tundra, Antarctic polar desert, arid grassland, arid shrubland, coastal, estuary, salt marsh, Special Feature: Forecasting Earth{\textquoteright}s Ecosystems with Long-Term Ecological Research, urban ecosystem}, issn = {2150-8925}, doi = {10.1002/ecs2.v12.510.1002/ecs2.3432}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.3432}, author = {Iwaniec, David M. and Michael N. Gooseff and Suding, Katharine N. and Johnson, David Samuel and Reed, Daniel C. and Debra P. C. Peters and Byron Adams and John E. Barrett and Bestelmeyer, Brandon T. and Castorani, Max C. N. and Cook, Elizabeth M. and Davidson, Melissa J. and Groffman, Peter M. and Hanan, Niall P. and Huenneke, L and Johnson, Pieter T. J. and Diane M. McKnight and Miller, Robert J. and Okin, Gregory S. and Preston, Daniel L. and Rassweiler, Andrew and Ray, Chris and Osvaldo E. Sala and Schooley, Robert and Seastedt, Timothy and Spasojevic, Marko J. and Vivoni, Enrique R.} } @article {4717, title = {Counting carbon: Quantifying biomass in the McMurdo Dry Valleys through orbital and field observations}, journal = {International Journal of Remote Sensing}, volume = {42}, year = {2021}, month = {10/2021}, pages = {8597 - 8623}, abstract = {

We use correlative field studies and high-resolution multispectral remote sensing data from the WorldView-2 instrument to estimate the abundance of photosynthetically active biomass (photoautotrophs consisting primarily of microbial mats and mosses) in Canada Stream in Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica. In situ field investigations were performed to (1) acquire ground validation targets for atmospherically correcting satellite imagery, (2) derive spectra of \“pure\” geologic and biological endmembers, (3) estimate photoautotroph cover from remote sensing data, and (4) convert these coverage estimates to biomass using data collected in the field. Our results suggest that, on the morning of 12 December 2018, the Canada Stream system contained more than 3,800 kg of photosynthetically active carbon. Extrapolating our unmixing results to the entirety of the Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, we model the presence of more than 750,000 kg of photosynthetically active carbon across the landscape and carbon fixation rates roughly equivalent to five hectares of tropical rainforest. The ability to spatially and temporally quantify the amount of photosynthetically active biomass using remote sensing data in the MDV of Antarctica is a revolutionary development that will help elucidate the ecological drivers and environmental responses in this cold desert landscape.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1080/01431161.2021.1981559}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01431161.2021.1981559}, author = {Salvatore, Mark R. and John E. Barrett and Borges, Schuyler R. and Power, Sarah N. and Lee F. Stanish and Eric R. Sokol and Michael N. Gooseff} } @article {4576, title = {Diatoms define a novel freshwater biogeography of the Antarctic}, journal = {Ecography}, volume = {44}, year = {2021}, month = {01/2021}, pages = {1-13}, abstract = {

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

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

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

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, benthic processes, biogenic silica, biogeochemical cycles processes and modeling, carbon cycling, diatoms, groundwater/surface water interactions, hyporheic zone, McMurdo Dry Valleys, nitrogen cycling, particulate organic matter}, doi = {10.1029/2020JG006097}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020JG006097}, author = {Heindel, Ruth C and Darling, Joshua P. and Singley, Joel G. and Bergstrom, Anna J. and Diane M. McKnight and Lukkari, Braeden M. and Kathleen A. Welch and Michael N. Gooseff} } @article {4634, title = {Draft genome sequence of the Antarctic green alga Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241}, journal = {iScience}, volume = {24}, year = {2021}, month = {2021-02}, pages = {102084}, abstract = {

Antarctica is home to an assortment of psychrophilic algae, which have evolved various survival strategies for coping with their frigid environments. Here, we explore Antarctic psychrophily by examining the \∼212 Mb draft nuclear genome of the green alga Chlamydomonas\ sp. UWO241, which resides within the water column of a perennially ice-covered, hypersaline lake. Like certain other Antarctic algae, UWO241 encodes a large number (\≥37) of ice-binding proteins, putatively originating from horizontal gene transfer. Even more striking, UWO241 harbors hundreds of highly similar duplicated genes involved in diverse cellular processes, some of which we argue are aiding its survival in the Antarctic via gene dosage. Gene and partial gene duplication appear to be an ongoing phenomenon within UWO241, one which might be mediated by retrotransposons. Ultimately, we consider how such a process could be associated with adaptation to extreme environments but explore potential non-adaptive hypotheses as well.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {25890042}, doi = {10.1016/j.isci.2021.102084}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004221000523}, author = {Zhang, Xi and Cvetkovska, Marina and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and H{\"u}ner, Norman P. A. and Smith, David Roy} } @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 {4583, title = {Genome analysis of Plectus murrayi, a nematode from continental Antarctica}, journal = {G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics}, year = {2021}, month = {01/2021}, abstract = {

Plectus murrayi is one of the most common and locally abundant invertebrates of continental Antarctic ecosystems. Because it is readily cultured on artificial medium in the laboratory and highly tolerant to an extremely harsh environment, Plectus murrayi is emerging as a model organism for understanding the evolutionary origin and maintenance of adaptive responses to multiple environmental stressors, including freezing and desiccation. The de novo assembled genome of Plectus murrayi contains 225.741 million base pairs and a total of 14,689 predicted genes. Compared to Caenorhabditis elegans, the architectural components of Plectus murrayi are characterized by a lower number of protein-coding genes, fewer transposable elements, but more exons, than closely related taxa from less harsh environments. We compared the transcriptomes of lab-reared Plectus murrayi with wild-caught Plectus murrayi and found genes involved in growth and cellular processing were up-regulated in lab-cultured Plectus murrayi, while a few genes associated with cellular metabolism and freeze tolerance were expressed at relatively lower levels. Preliminary comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses suggest that the observed constraints on P. murrayi genome architecture and functional gene expression, including genome decay and intron retention, may be an adaptive response to persisting in a biotically simplified, yet consistently physically harsh environment.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, gene loss, genome architecture, genome assembly, genome decay, Plectus murrayi}, doi = {10.1093/g3journal/jkaa045}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/g3journal/advance-article/doi/10.1093/g3journal/jkaa045/6044189}, author = {Xue, Xia and Suvorov, Anton and Fujimoto, Stanley and Dilman, Adler R. and Byron Adams} } @book {4946, title = {The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: A geological, environmental, and ecological analog to the Martian surface and near surface}, year = {2021}, publisher = {Elsevier}, organization = {Elsevier}, abstract = {

The surface of Mars is universally thought to have experienced widespread cold and dry environmental conditions for at least the last half of its geologic history, with more modern studies suggesting relatively cold and dry conditions early in its geologic history as well. However, the paucity of liquid water and mean annual temperatures well below the freezing point of water do not necessarily mean a complete cessation of all water-related geologic activity at the Martian surface. Over the past several decades, investigations in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica have revealed a dynamic geological, environmental, and ecological system resulting from locally optimized conditions operating over repeated, albeit brief, intervals during summer months. In this chapter, we compare the hyper-arid and hypo-thermal environments of the MDV and the modern Martian surface and discuss three unique enigmas that demonstrate how the Antarctic is a valuable analog to better understand processes on Mars.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, astrobiology, climate, geology, geomorphology, Mars}, isbn = {9780128202456}, doi = {10.1016/B978-0-12-820245-6.00011-2}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128202456000112}, author = {Salvatore, Mark R. and Joseph S. Levy} } @article {4597, title = {Metabolic capacity of the Antarctic cyanobacterium Phormidium pseudopriestleyi that sustains oxygenic photosynthesis in the presence of hydrogen sulfide}, journal = {Genes}, volume = {12}, year = {2021}, month = {03/2021}, pages = {426}, abstract = {

Sulfide inhibits oxygenic photosynthesis by blocking electron transfer between H2O and the oxygen-evolving complex in the D1 protein of Photosystem II. The ability of cyanobacteria to counter this effect has implications for understanding the productivity of benthic microbial mats in sulfidic environments throughout Earth history. In Lake Fryxell, Antarctica, the benthic, filamentous cyanobacterium Phormidium pseudopriestleyi creates a 1\–2 mm thick layer of 50 \µmol L\−1 O2 in otherwise sulfidic water, demonstrating that it sustains oxygenic photosynthesis in the presence of sulfide. A metagenome-assembled genome of P. pseudopriestleyi indicates a genetic capacity for oxygenic photosynthesis, including multiple copies of psbA (encoding the D1 protein of Photosystem II), and anoxygenic photosynthesis with a copy of sqr (encoding the sulfide quinone reductase protein that oxidizes sulfide). The genomic content of P. pseudopriestleyi is consistent with sulfide tolerance mechanisms including increasing psbA expression or directly oxidizing sulfide with sulfide quinone reductase. However, the ability of the organism to reduce Photosystem I via sulfide quinone reductase while Photosystem II is sulfide-inhibited, thereby performing anoxygenic photosynthesis in the presence of sulfide, has yet to be demonstrated.\ 

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.3390/genes12030426}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/12/3/426}, author = {Lumian, Jessica E. and Jungblut, Anne D. and Dillon, Megan L. and Hawes, Ian and Peter T. Doran and Mackey, Tyler J. and Dick, Gregory J. and Grettenberger, Christen L. and Sumner, Dawn Y.} } @article {4626, title = {The role of hyporheic connectivity in determining nitrogen availability: Insights from an intermittent Antarctic stream}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences}, year = {2021}, month = {04/2022}, abstract = {

Due to widespread manipulation of nitrogen (N), much research has focused on processes controlling the fate of anthropogenic N in streams. Yet, in a variety of oligotrophic systems, N fixed by periphyton is a significant driver of ecosystem metabolism. Due to difficulties partitioning allochthonous and autochthonous sources, there is limited information regarding how the latter is processed. Autochthonous N may be particularly important in alpine, arid, or polar environments. We test the hypothesis that the availability of remineralized autochthonous N is controlled by connectivity between the hyporheic zone and main channel due to the contrasting biogeochemical functions of benthic autotrophs (including N-fixing Nostoc) and hyporheic heterotrophs in an intermittent Antarctic stream. There, we collected surface water and hyporheic water concurrently at 4-6 hour intervals over a 32.5-hr period during one flow season and opportunistically throughout a second. Hyporheic water had 7 to 30 times greater nitrate-N concentrations relative to surface water across all flow conditions. In contrast, ammonium concentrations were generally lower, although similar among locations. Additionally, nitrate in hyporheic water was positively correlated with silica, an indicator of hyporheic residence time. A laboratory assay confirmed prior inferences that hyporheic microbial communities possess the functional potential to perform nitrification. Together, these findings suggest that remineralized autochthonous N accumulates in the hyporheic zone even as streamflow varies and likely subsidizes stream N availability\—which supports prior inferences from N stable isotope data at this site. These results highlight the importance of hyporheic connectivity in controlling autochthonous N cycling and availability in streams.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, autochthonous nitrogen, hyporheic zone, nitrogen cycling, streamflow}, issn = {2169-8953}, doi = {10.1029/2021JG006309}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021JG006309}, author = {Singley, Joel G. and Gooseff, Michael N. and Diane M. McKnight and Eve-Lyn S. Hinckley} } @phdthesis {4692, title = {Stream corridor connectivity controls on nitrogen cycling}, volume = {PhD}, year = {2021}, month = {05/2021}, school = {University of Colorado Boulder}, type = {Doctoral}, address = {Boulder, CO, USA}, abstract = {

As water flows downstream, it is transported to and from environments that surround the visible stream. Along with surface water, these laterally and vertically connected environments comprise the stream corridor. Stream corridor connectivity influences many ecosystem services, including retention of excess nutrients. The subsurface area where stream water and groundwater mixes\—the hyporheic zone\—represents one of the most biogeochemically active parts of stream corridors.

The goal of my research is to advance understanding of how connectivity between different parts of a stream corridor controls the availability and retention of nitrogen (N), a nutrient that can limit primary productivity (low-N) and negatively impact water quality (excess N). First, I developed and applied a new machine learning method to objectively characterize the extent and variability of hyporheic exchange in terms of statistically unique functional zones using geophysical data. In applying this method to a benchmark dataset, I found that hyporheic extent does not scale uniformly with streamflow and that changes in the heterogeneity of connectivity differ over small (\<10 m) distances. Next, I leveraged the relative simplicity of ephemeral streams of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs), Antarctica, to isolate stream corridor processes that influence the fate of N. Through intensive field sampling campaigns, I found that the hyporheic zone can be a persistent source of N even in this low nutrient environment. Next, I combined historic sample data and remote sensing analysis to estimate how much N is stored in an MDV stream corridor. My results indicate that up to 103 times more N is stored in this system than is exported each year, with most of this storage in the shallow (\< 10 cm) hyporheic zone. Lastly, I examined 25 years of data for 10 streams to assess how stream corridor processes control concentration-discharge relationships. I found that in the absence of hillslope connectivity, stream corridor processes alone can maintain chemostasis \– relatively small concentration changes with large fluctuations in streamflow \– of both geogenic solutes and primary nutrients. My analysis also revealed that solutes subject to greater control by biological processes exhibit more variability within chemostatic relationships than weathering solutes that are only minimally influenced by biota.

Altogether, this research advances understanding of processes that are difficult to measure or are often overlooked in typical studies of temperate stream corridors. My findings provide insight into the surprising ways in which N is mobilized, transformed, and retained due to stream corridor connectivity in intermittent stream systems with few N inputs.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, hyporheic zone, nitrogen cycling, streams}, url = {https://www.proquest.com/docview/2572593127}, author = {Singley, Joel G.}, editor = {Eve-Lyn S. Hinckley and Michael N. Gooseff} } @phdthesis {4587, title = {Characterization of spatial and environmental influences on stream diatoms and cyanobacteria}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2020}, month = {2020}, school = {University of Colorado Boulder}, type = {doctoral}, address = {Boulder, CO}, abstract = {

Primary producing algae form the basis of carbon fixation, oxygen production, and food webs in aquatic ecosystems globally. However, human activities disrupt climate and freshwater physicochemistry. These impacts alter the health of algal communities and the ecosystem services algae provide. Meanwhile, spatial processes like dispersal and landscape characteristics like geology also influence algal structure and function. Diatoms are indicators of stream health and are model organisms for understanding the processes underlying microbial biogeography. Benthic cyanobacteria present risks to human health through the proliferation of toxin-producing blooms. With this dissertation, I investigate the ecosystem processes that influence diatom and cyanobacterial community composition and taxon distributions. My goal is to advance the understanding of ecosystem controls on algal biogeography and to characterize taxon-specific autecology for use in environmental management. First, I measured the extent of wind-mediated dispersal of benthic diatoms across aquatic habitats to better understand how community composition is structured by spatial processes across the McMurdo Dry Valleys polar desert in Antarctica. I found that inter-habitat dispersal is common but less influential on community composition than intra-habitat factors such as environmental conditions. I then used non-linear, multivariable modeling to assess the relative influences of climate, watershed characteristics, and in-stream stressors on the relative abundances of 268 diatom taxa across gradients of human impact in the northeast United States. My results indicate diatom taxa are affected by different suites of environmental conditions but that taxa belong to ecological guilds based on shared responsiveness to environmental factors. Finally, I applied multivariable modeling towards understanding the effects of aquatic stressors, including herbicides and persistent organic pollutants, on the distributions of benthic cyanobacteria across northeast U.S. streams. I found that watershed characteristics, streamflow, and herbicides were more influential than light availability, water temperature, and nutrients on the distributions of potentially toxigenic cyanobacterial genera. Collectively, this research expands the knowledge of how benthic algal communities and taxon distributions are structured at large spatial scales along gradients of unimpacted and human-altered environmental conditions. I provide a novel modeling framework and taxon-specific autecological information that can be applied to environmental assessments of stream health and future algal research.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, algae, dispersal, environmental assessment, human disturbance, metacommunity ecology, species distribution models}, url = {https://www.proquest.com/docview/2476216263}, author = {Schulte, Nicholas O. and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4395, title = {Energetic and environmental constraints on the community structure of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica}, journal = {FEMS Microbiology Ecology}, volume = {96}, year = {2020}, month = {02/2020}, abstract = {

Ecological communities are regulated by the flow of energy through environments. Energy flow is typically limited by access to photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and oxygen concentration (O2). The microbial mats growing on the bottom of Lake Fryxell, Antarctica, have well-defined environmental gradients in PAR and (O2). We analyzed the metagenomes of layers from these microbial mats to test the extent to which access to oxygen and light controls community structure. We found variation in the diversity and relative abundances of Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryotes across three (O2) and PAR conditions: high (O2) and maximum PAR, variable (O2) with lower maximum PAR, and low (O2) and maximum PAR. We found distinct communities structured by the optimization of energy use on a millimeter-scale across these conditions. In mat layers where (O2) was saturated, PAR structured the community. In contrast, (O2) positively correlated with diversity and affected the distribution of dominant populations across the three habitats, suggesting that meter-scale diversity is structured by energy availability. Microbial communities changed across covarying gradients of PAR and (O2). The comprehensive metagenomic analysis suggests that the benthic microbial communities in Lake Fryxell are structured by energy flow across both meter- and millimeter-scales.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, energy, Lake Fryxell, microbial mat, Oxygen, Photosynthetically Active Radiation}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiz207}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/2/fiz207/5697196}, author = {Dillon, Megan L. and Ian Hawes and Jungblut, Anne D. and Mackey, Tyler J. and Eisen, Jonathan A. and Peter T. Doran and Sumner, Dawn Y.} } @article {4582, title = {Environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {15}, year = {2020}, month = {04/2020}, pages = {e0231053}, abstract = {

Ecological theories posit that heterogeneity in environmental conditions greatly affects community structure and function. However, the degree to which ecological theory developed using plant- and animal-dominated systems applies to microbiomes is unclear. Investigating the metabolic strategies found in microbiomes are particularly informative for testing the universality of ecological theories because microorganisms have far wider metabolic capacity than plants and animals. We used metagenomic analyses to explore the relationships between the energy and physicochemical gradients in Lake Fryxell and the metabolic capacity of its benthic microbiome. Statistical analysis of the relative abundance of metabolic marker genes and gene family diversity shows that oxygenic photosynthesis, carbon fixation, and flavin-based electron bifurcation differentiate mats growing in different environmental conditions. The pattern of gene family diversity points to the likely importance of temporal environmental heterogeneity in addition to resource gradients. Overall, we found that the environmental heterogeneity of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and oxygen concentration ([O2]) in Lake Fryxell provide the framework by which metabolic diversity and composition of the community is structured, in accordance with its phylogenetic structure. The organization of the resulting microbial ecosystems are consistent with the maximum power principle and the species sorting model.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0231053}, url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0231053}, author = {Dillon, Megan L. and Hawes, Ian and Jungblut, Anne D. and Mackey, Tyler J. and Eisen, Jonathan A. and Peter T. Doran and Sumner, Dawn Y.} } @article {4516, title = {Estimating microbial mat biomass in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica using satellite imagery and ground surveys}, journal = {Polar Biology}, year = {2020}, month = {09/2020}, abstract = {

Cyanobacterial mat communities are the main drivers of primary productivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. These microbial communities form laminar mats on desert pavement surfaces adjacent to glacial meltwater streams, ponds, and lakes. The low-density nature of these communities and their patchy distribution make assessments of distribution, biomass, and productivity challenging. We used satellite imagery coupled with in situ surveying, imaging, and sampling to systematically estimate microbial mat biomass in selected wetland regions in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. On January 19th, 2018, the WorldView-2 multispectral satellite acquired an image of our study areas, where we surveyed and sampled seven 100 m2 plots of microbial mats for percent ground cover, ash-free dry mass (AFDM), and pigment content (chlorophyll-a, carotenoids, and scytonemin). Multispectral analyses revealed spectral signatures consistent with photosynthetic activity (relatively strong reflection at near-infrared wavelengths and relatively strong absorption at visible wavelengths), with average normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values of 0.09 to 0.28. Strong correlations of microbial mat ground cover (R2\ =\ 0.84), biomass (R2\ =\ 0.74), chlorophyll-a content (R2\ =\ 0.65), and scytonemin content (R2\ =\ 0.98) with logit transformed NDVI values demonstrate that satellite imagery can detect both the presence of microbial mats and their key biological properties. Using the NDVI\—biomass correlation we developed, we estimate carbon (C) stocks of 21,715 kg (14.7 g C m\−2) in the Canada Glacier Antarctic Specially Protected Area, with an upper and lower limit of 74,871 and 6312 kg of C, respectively.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, microbial mat, multispectral imagery, NDVI, Nostocales, remote sensing}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-020-02742-y}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs00300-020-02742-y}, author = {Power, Sarah N. and Salvatore, Mark R. and Eric R. Sokol and Lee F. Stanish and John E. Barrett} } @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 {4488, title = {Genetic diversity of soil invertebrates corroborates timing estimates for past collapses of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, year = {2020}, month = {08/2020}, abstract = {

During austral summer field seasons between 1999 and 2018, we sampled at 91 locations throughout southern Victoria Land and along the Transantarctic Mountains for six species of endemic microarthropods (Collembola), covering a latitudinal range from 76.0\°S to 87.3\°S. We assembled individual mitochondrial cyto-chrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) sequences (n = 866) and found high levels of sequence divergence at both small (\<10 km) and large (\>600 km) spatial scales for four of the six Collembola species. We applied molecular clock estimates and assessed genetic divergences relative to the timing of past glacial cycles, including collapses of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). We found that genetically distinct lineages within three species have likely been isolated for at least 5.54 My to 3.52 My, while the other three species diverged more recently (\<2 My). We suggest that Collembola had greater dispersal opportunities under past warmer climates, via flotation along coastal margins. Similarly increased opportunities for dispersal may occur under contemporary climate warming scenarios, which could influence the genetic structure of extant populations. As Collembola are a living record of past landscape evolution within Antarctica, these findings provide biological evidence to support geological and glaciological estimates of historical WAIS dynamics over the last ca. 5 My.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, climate change, microarthropods, molecular clock, phylogeography, terrestrial biodiversity}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2007925117}, url = {https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/08/19/2007925117}, author = {Gemma E. Collins and Hogg, Ian D. and Convey, Peter and Sancho, Leopoldo G. and Cowan, Don A. and W. Berry Lyons and Byron Adams and Diana H. Wall and Allan Green, T. G.} } @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 {4487, title = {Glycerol is an osmoprotectant in two Antarctic Chlamydomonas species from an ice-covered saline lake and is synthesized by an unusual bidomain enzyme}, journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science}, volume = {11}, year = {2020}, month = {08/2020}, abstract = {

Glycerol, a compatible solute, has previously been found to act as an osmoprotectant in some marine Chlamydomonas species and several species of Dunaliella from hypersaline ponds. Recently, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Dunaliella salina were shown to make glycerol with an unusual bidomain enzyme, which appears to be unique to algae, that contains a phosphoserine phosphatase and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Here we report that two psychrophilic species of Chlamydomonas (C. spp. UWO241 and ICE-MDV) from Lake Bonney, Antarctica also produce high levels of glycerol to survive in the lake\’s saline waters. Glycerol concentration increased linearly with salinity and at 1.3 M NaCl, exceeded 400 mM in C. sp. UWO241, the more salt-tolerant strain. We also show that both species expressed several isoforms of the bidomain enzyme. An analysis of one of the isoforms of C. sp. UWO241 showed that it was strongly upregulated by NaCl and is thus the likely source of glycerol. These results reveal another adaptation of the Lake Bonney Chlamydomonas species that allow them to survive in an extreme polar environment.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, Chlamydomonas, glycerol synthesis, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, Lake Bonney, phosphoserine phosphatase}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2020.01259}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.01259/full}, author = {Raymond, James A. and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and Stahl-Rommel, Sarah} } @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 {4447, title = {Modeling present and future ice covers in two Antarctic lakes}, journal = {Journal of Glaciology}, volume = {66}, year = {2020}, month = {02/2020}, abstract = {

Antarctic lakes with perennial ice covers provide the opportunity to investigate in-lake processes without direct atmospheric interaction, and to study their ice-cover sensitivity to climate condi- tions. In this study, a numerical model \– driven by radiative, atmospheric and turbulent heat fluxes from the water body beneath the ice cover \– was implemented to investigate the impact of climate change on the ice covers from two Antarctic lakes: west lobe of Lake Bonney (WLB) and Crooked Lake. Model results agreed well with measured ice thicknesses of both lakes (WLB \– RMSE= 0.11 m over 16 years of data; Crooked Lake \– RMSE= 0.07 m over 1 year of data), and had acceptable results with measured ablation data at WLB (RMSE= 0.28 m over 6 years). The differences between measured and modeled ablation occurred because the model does not consider interannual variability of the ice optical properties and seasonal changes of the lake\’s thermal structure. Results indicate that projected summer air temperatures will increase the ice-cover annual melting in WLB by 2050, but that the ice cover will remain peren- nial through the end of this century. Contrarily, at Crooked Lake the ice cover becomes ephem- eral most likely due to the increase in air temperatures.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, climate change, energy balance, ice and climate, ice-sheet modeling, lake ice}, doi = {10.1017/jog.2019.78}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-glaciology/article/modeling-present-and-future-ice-covers-in-two-antarctic-lakes/9306439ADD5492BC05F3BAF0E076B1C3}, author = {Echeverr{\'\i}a, Sebasti{\'a}n and Hausner, Mark B. and Bambach, Nicol{\'a}s and Vicu{\~n}a, Sebasti{\'a}n and Su{\'a}rez, Francisco} } @article {4489, title = {Nutrient uptake in the supraglacial stream network of an Antarctic glacier}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences}, year = {2020}, month = {08/2020}, abstract = {

In polar regions, where many glaciers are cold-based (frozen to their beds), biological communities on the glacier surface can modulate and transform nutrients, controlling downstream delivery. However, it remains unclear whether supraglacial streams are nutrient sinks or sources and the rates of nutrient processing. In order to test this, we conducted tracer-injections in three supraglacial streams (62 to 123 m long) on Canada Glacier in the Taylor Valley, of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. We conducted a series of additions including: nitrate (N), N + phosphate (P), N+ P + glucose (C), and N+C. In two reaches, N-only additions resulted in N uptake. The third reach showed net N release during the N-only addition, but high N uptake in the N+P addition, indicating P-limitation or N+P co-limitation. Co-injecting C did not increase N-uptake. Additionally, in these systems at low N concentrations the streams can be a net source of nitrogen. We confirmed these findings using laboratory-based nutrient incubation experiments on sediment collected from stream channels on Canada Glacier and two other glaciers in the Taylor Valley. Together, these results suggest there is active biological processing of nutrients occurring in these supraglacial streams despite low sediment cover, high flow velocities and cold temperatures, modifying the input signals to proglacial streams. As glaciers world-wide undergo rapid change, these findings further our understanding of how melt generated on glacier surfaces set the initial nutrient signature for subglacial and downstream environments.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, McMurdo Dry Valleys, nitrogen, nutrient tracers, nutrient uptake, sediments, supraglacial streams}, doi = {10.1029/2020JG005679}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2020JG005679}, author = {Bergstrom, Anna J. and Michael N. Gooseff and Singley, Joel G. and Cohen, Matthew J. and Kathleen A. Welch} } @article {4449, title = {Remote characterization of photosynthetic communities in the Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, year = {2020}, month = {03/2020}, abstract = {

We investigate the spatial distribution, spectral properties and temporal variability of primary producers (e.g. communities of microbial mats and mosses) throughout the Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, using high-resolution multispectral remote-sensing data. Our results suggest that photosynthetic communities can be readily detected throughout the Fryxell basin based on their unique near-infrared spectral signatures. Observed intra- and inter-annual variability in spectral signatures are consistent with short-term variations in mat distribution, hydration and photosynthetic activity. Spectral unmixing is also implemented in order to estimate mat abundance, with the most densely vegetated regions observed from orbit correlating spatially with some of the most productive regions of the Fryxell basin. Our work establishes remote sensing as a valuable tool in the study of these ecological communities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys and demonstrates how future scientific investigations and the management of specially protected areas could benefit from these tools and techniques.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, ecology, hydrology, McMurdo Dry Valleys, microbiology, remote sensing, spectroscopy}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102020000176}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antarctic-science/article/remote-characterization-of-photosynthetic-communities-in-the-fryxell-basin-of-taylor-valley-antarctica/8576F6BB1BCFDCA8409F5EA96CA00C6F}, author = {Salvatore, Mark R. and Borges, Schuyler R. and John E. Barrett and Eric R. Sokol and Lee F. Stanish and Power, Sarah N. and Morin, Paul} } @mastersthesis {4628, title = {Response of microbial communities to climatic disturbances in Lake Bonney, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2020}, month = {2020}, school = {Miami University}, type = {masters}, address = {Oxford, OH}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys is a polar desert ecosystem which composes the largest ice-free area in Antarctica, with the exception of perennially ice-covered lakes and ponds. The lakes in the valleys are the only landscape unit that support metabolic activity year-round. Recent increases in air temperature and solar radiation have led to a chain of disturbances altering the environmental conditions of these lakes. In this study, we test the impact of climatic disturbances on microbial communities in Lake Bonney, one of the lakes in the MDV. Through an integrated approach of combining field studies on natural communities in the lake (in situ) and laboratory experiments on algal isolates (ex situ), this study will attempt to understand how phytoplankton, eukaryal and bacterial communities respond to simulated disturbances. Results from the in situ experiments showed that the moat is a unique and stressful environment for under-ice communities and that under-ice shallow communities are highly sensitive to climatic disturbances. The ex situ experiments showed that certain phytoplankton species, like the chlorophytes, are more resistant to environmental alterations and thus will outcompete other phytoplankton species.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, climate change, McMurdo Dry Valleys, microbial communities, phytoplankton}, url = {http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1595958688364877}, author = {Sherwell, Shasten S. and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4466, title = {Silicon isotopic composition of dry and wet-based glaciers in Antarctica}, journal = {Frontiers in Earth Science}, volume = {8}, year = {2020}, month = {07/2020}, abstract = {

Glaciers and ice sheets export significant amounts of silicon (Si) to downstream ecosystems, impacting local and potentially global biogeochemical cycles. Recent studies have shown Si in Arctic glacial meltwaters to have an isotopically distinct signature when compared to non-glacial rivers. This is likely linked to subglacial weathering processes and mechanochemical reactions. However, there are currently no silicon isotope (δ30Si) data available from meltwater streams in Antarctica, limiting the current inferences on global glacial silicon isotopic composition and its drivers. To address this gap, we present dissolved silicon (DSi), δ30SiDSi, and major ion data from meltwater streams draining a polythermal glacier in the region of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP; King George Island) and a cold-based glacier in East Antarctica [Commonwealth Stream, McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV)]. These data, alongside other global datasets, improve our understanding of how contrasting glacier thermal regime can impact upon Si cycling and therefore the δ30SiDSi composition. We find a similar δ30SiDSi composition between the two sites, with the streams on King George Island varying between -0.23 and +1.23\‰ and the Commonwealth stream varying from -0.40 to +1.14\‰. However, meltwater streams in King George Island have higher DSi concentrations, and the two glacial systems exhibit opposite DSi \– δ30SiDSi trends. These contrasts likely result from differences in weathering processes, specifically the role of subglacial processes (King George Island) and, supraglacial processes followed by in-stream weathering in hyporheic zones (Commonwealth Stream). These findings are important when considering likely changes in nutrient fluxes from Antarctic glaciers under climatic warming scenarios and consequent shifts in glacial thermal regimes.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.3389/feart.2020.00286}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2020.00286/full}, author = {Hatton, Jade E. and Hendry, Katharine R. and Hirst, Catherine and Opfergelt, Sophie and Henkel, Susann and Silva-Busso, Adri{\'a}n and Welch, Susan A. and Wadham, Jemma L. and W. Berry Lyons and Bagshaw, Elizabeth and Staubwasser, Michael and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4331, title = {Vertical stratification and stability of biogeochemical processes in the deep saline waters of Lake Vanda, Antarctica}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {65}, year = {2020}, month = {03/2020}, abstract = {

Lake Vanda is a permanently ice-covered lake in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Its bottom waters remain stratified year-round because of a strong salinity-driven density gradient. We have assessed spatial patterns in and relationships between major biogeochemical processes in the water column of Lake Vanda. Samples were collected in the austral summers of 2008 and 2011 to measure concentrations of metabolites associated with a suite of biogeochemical processes across the deep salinity gradient. The shapes of the resulting geochemical profiles were consistent between 2008 and 2011. Metabolite production and consumption rates were estimated using a reactive transport model based on the assumption that vertical diffusion was the only activephysical transport process. We validated this model for nitrification by using stable isotope incubations to show that this process was only active at depths predicted by the model. No nitrification activity was observed at 68 m depth in spite of overlapping oxygen and ammonium gradients. We attribute this lack of activity to the competitive inhibition of ammonia monooxygenase by methane. Net nitrous oxide and nitrate consumption were observed in the oxic water column, providing evidence of aerobic denitrification. The depth of maximum net oxygen production did not coincide with the deep chlorophyll maxima (at 59.3, 63, and 68.2 m) measured in the same profile. Finally, the integrated sulfide oxidation rate was high compared with other oxidation processes, indicating that sulfide was an important electron donor for the water column microbial community.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/lno.11327}, url = {https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lno.11327}, author = {Schutte, Charles A. and Samarkin, Vladimir A. and Peters, Brian and Madigan, Michael T. and Bowles, Marshall W. and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and Karen L. Casciotti and Joye, Samantha B.} } @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 {4334, title = {Biotic interactions in experimental Antarctic soil microcosms vary with abiotic stress}, journal = {Soil Systems}, volume = {3}, year = {2019}, month = {08/2019}, abstract = {

Biotic interactions structure ecological communities but abiotic factors affect the strength of these relationships. These interactions are difficult to study in soils due to their vast biodiversity and the many environmental factors that affect soil species. The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica, are relatively simple soil ecosystems compared to temperate soils, making them an excellent study system for the trophic relationships of soil. Soil microbes and relatively few species of nematodes, rotifers, tardigrades, springtails, and mites are patchily distributed across the cold, dry landscape, which lacks vascular plants and terrestrial vertebrates. However, glacier and permafrost melt are expected to cause shifts in soil moisture and solutes across this ecosystem. To test how increased moisture and salinity affect soil invertebrates and their biotic interactions, we established a laboratory microcosm experiment (4 community \× 2 moisture \× 2 salinity treatments). Community treatments were: (1) Bacteria only (control), (2) Scottnema (S. lindsayae + bacteria), (3) Eudorylaimus (E. antarcticus + bacteria), and (4) Mixed (S. lindsayae + E. antarcticus + bacteria). Salinity and moisture treatments were control and high. High moisture reduced S. lindsayae adults, while high salinity reduced the total S. lindsayae population. We found that S. lindsayae exerted top-down control over soil bacteria populations, but this effect was dependent on salinity treatment. In the high salinity treatment, bacteria were released from top-down pressure as S. lindsayae declined. Ours was the first study to empirically demonstrate, although in lab microcosm conditions, top-down control in the MDV soil food web.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, bacteria, biological interactions, desert, nematode, polar, soil communities, top-down effects, trophic interactions}, doi = {10.3390/soilsystems3030057}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/3/3/57}, author = {Shaw, E. Ashley and Diana H. Wall} } @inbook {4187, title = {Complex Structure but Simple Function in Microbial Mats from Antarctic Lakes}, booktitle = {The Structure and Function of Aquatic Microbial Communities}, year = {2019}, pages = {91 - 120}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, organization = {Springer International Publishing}, address = {Cham}, abstract = {

Microbial mats growing under the permanent ice cover of Antarctic lakes occupy an exceptionally low-disturbance regime. Constant temperature, the absence of bioturbation or physical disturbance from wind action or ice formation allow mats to accumulate, as annual growth layers, over many decades or even centuries. In so doing they often assume decimetre scale, three-dimensional morphologies such as elaborate pinnacle structures and conical mounds. Here we combine existing and new information to describe microbial structures in three Antarctic lakes\—simple prostrate mats in Lake Hoare, emergent cones in Lake Untersee and elaborate pinnacles in Lake Vanda. We attempt to determine whether structures emerge simply from uncoordinated organism-environment interactions or whether they represent an example of \“emergent complexity\”, within which some degree of self-organisation occurs to confer a holistic functional advantage to component organisms. While some holistic advantages were evident from the structures\—the increase in surface area allows greater biomass and overall productivity and nutrient exchange with overlying water\—the structures could also be understood in terms of potential interactions between individuals, their orientation and their environment. The data lack strong evidence of coordinated behaviour directed towards holistic advantages to the structure, though hints of coordinated behaviour are present as non-random distributions of structural elements. The great size of microbial structures in Antarctic lakes, and their relatively simple community composition, makes them excellent models for more focused research on microbial cooperation.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, biofilm, microbial ecology, microbial structures, self-organising structures, stromatolite}, isbn = {978-3-030-16775-2}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-16775-2_4}, url = {https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-16775-2_4}, author = {Ian Hawes and Sumner, Dawn Y. and Jungblut, Anne D.}, editor = {Hurst, Christon J.} } @article {4150, title = {Differential incorporation of bacteria, organic matter, and inorganic ions into lake ice during ice formation}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences}, volume = {124}, year = {2019}, month = {02/2019}, pages = {585 - 600}, abstract = {

The segregation of bacteria, inorganic solutes, and total organic carbon between liquid water and ice during winter ice formation on lakes can significantly influence the concentration and survival of microorganisms in icy systems, and their roles in biogeochemical processes. Our study quantifies the distributions of bacteria and solutes between liquid and solid water phases during progressive freezing. We simulated lake ice formation in mesocosm experiments using water from perennially (Antarctica) and seasonally (Alaska and Montana, USA) ice covered lakes. We then computed concentration factors and effective segregation coefficients, which are parameters describing the incorporation of bacteria and solutes into ice. Experimental results revealed that, contrary to major ions, bacteria were readily incorporated into ice and did not concentrate in the liquid phase. The organic matter incorporated into the ice was labile, amino acid-like material, differing from the humic-like compounds that remained in the liquid phase. Results from a control mesocosm experiment (dead bacterial cells) indicated that viability of bacterial cells did not influence the incorporation of free bacterial cells into ice, but did have a role in the formation and incorporation of bacterial aggregates. Together, these findings demonstrate that bacteria, unlike other solutes, were preferentially incorporated into lake-ice during our freezing experiments, a process controlled mainly by the initial solute concentration of the liquid water source, regardless of cell viability.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1029/2018JG004825}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018JG004825}, author = {Santib{\'a}{\~n}ez, Pamela and Alexander B. Michaud and Trista J. Vick-Majors and D{\textquoteright}Andrilli, Juliana and Amy Chiuchiolo and Hand, Kevin P. and John C. Priscu} } @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 {4294, title = {Environmental controls on bacteriohopanepolyol profiles of benthic microbial mats from Lake Fryxell, Antarctica}, journal = {Geobiology}, year = {2019}, month = {07/2019}, abstract = {

Bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs) are pentacyclic triterpenoid lipids that contribute to the structural integrity and physiology of some bacteria. Because some BHPs originate from specific classes of bacteria, BHPs have potential as taxonomically and environmentally diagnostic biomarkers. For example, a stereoisomer of bacteriohopanetetrol (informally BHT II) has been associated with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria and suboxic to anoxic marine environments where anammox is active. As a result, the detection of BHT II in the sedimentary record and fluctuations in the relative abundance of BHT II may inform reconstructions of nitrogen cycling and ocean redox changes through the geological record. However, there are uncertainties concerning the sources of BHT II and whether or not BHT II is produced in abundance in non-marine environments, both of which are pertinent to interpretations of BHT II signatures in sediments. To address these questions, we investigate the BHP composition of benthic microbial mats from Lake Fryxell, Antarctica. Lake Fryxell is a perennially ice-covered lake with a sharp oxycline in a density-stabilized water column. We describe the diversity and abundance of BHPs in benthic microbial mats across a transect from oxic to anoxic conditions. Generally, BHP abundances and diversity vary with the morphologies of microbial mats, which were previously shown to reflect local environmental conditions, such as irradiance and oxygen and sulfide concentrations. BHT II was identified in mats that exist within oxic to anoxic portions of the lake. However, anammox bacteria have yet to be identified in Lake Fryxell. We examine our results in the context of BHPs as biomarkers in modern and ancient environments.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, anammox, bacteriohopanepolyol, bacteriohopanetetrol isomer, biomarker, McMurdo Dry Valleys}, doi = {10.1111/gbi.12353}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gbi.12353}, author = {Matys, Emily D. and Mackey, Tyler J. and Grettenberger, Christen and Mueller, Elliott and Jungblut, Anne D. and Sumner, Dawn Y. and Ian Hawes and Summons, Roger E.} } @article {4373, title = {The hydroecology of an ephemeral wetland in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences}, year = {2019}, month = {11/2019}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) is a polar desert on the coast of East Antarctica where ephemeral wetlands become hydrologically active during warm and sunny summers when sub-surface flows are generated from melting snowfields. To understand the structure and function of polar wetland ecosystems, we investigated the hydroecology of one such wetland, the Wormherder Creek wetland, during the warm and sunny summer of 2008 \– 2009, when the wetland was hydrologically reactivated. Conservative tracer (LiCl) was injected for a 2-hour period into a stream above the wetland to determine flow path orientations and hydrologic residence times. Tracer results indicated that surface water is rapidly exchanged with wetland groundwater and wetland residence times may exceed two austral summers. Major ion concentrations were uniform in samples from surface water and shallow groundwater throughout the wetland. Microbial mats in the wetland had high autotrophic index values (the ratios of chlorophyll a [Chl-a]/ash-free dry mass [AFDM]), ranging from 9-38 μg Chl-a/mg AFDM, indicative of actively photosynthesizing mat communities. The diatom communities in the mats were relatively uniform compared to those in mats from regularly flowing MDV streams, with four endemic and one widespread diatom taxa of the genus Luticola accounting for an average of 86\% of the community. These results indicate that the hydrologic characteristics of the wetland contribute to uniform geochemical conditions. In turn, uniform geochemical conditions may explain the high autotrophic index values of the microbial mats and relatively low spatial variation of the diatom community.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, desert hydrology, diatom biodiversity, hyporheic interactions, wetlands}, doi = {10.1029/2019JG005153}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019JG005153}, author = {Wlostowski, Adam and Schulte, Nicholas O. and Byron Adams and Ball, Becky and Rhea M.M. Esposito and Michael N. Gooseff and W. Berry Lyons and Uffe N. Nielsen and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall and Kathleen A. Welch and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4140, title = {In a PICL: The sedimentary deposits and facies of perennially ice-covered lakes}, journal = {Sedimentology}, volume = {66}, year = {2019}, month = {04/2019}, abstract = {

Perennially ice-covered lakes can have significantly different facies than open-water lakes because sediment is transported onto the ice, where it accumulates, and sand grains preferentially melt through to be deposited on the lake floor. To characterize the facies in these lakes, sedimentary deposits from five Antarctic perennially ice-covered lakes were described using lake-bottom observations, underwater video and images, and sediment cores. One lake was dominated by laminated microbial mats and mud (derived from an abutting glacier), with disseminated sand and rare gravel. The other four lakes were dominated by laminated microbial mats and moderately well to moderately sorted medium to very coarse sand with sparse granules and pebbles; they contained minor interstitial or laminated mud (derived from streams and abutting glaciers). The sand was disseminated or localized in mounds and 1 m to more than 10 m long elongate ridges. Mounds were centimetres to metres in diameter; conical, elongate or round in shape; and isolated or deposited near or on top of one another. Sand layers in the mounds had normal, inverse, or no grading. Nine mixed mud and sand facies were defined for perennially ice-covered lakes based on the relative proportion of mud to sand and the style of sand deposition. While perennially ice-covered lake facies overlap with other ice-influenced lakes and glaciomarine facies, they are characterized by a paucity of grains coarser than granules, a narrow range in sand grain sizes, and inverse grading in the sand mounds. These facies can be used to infer changes in ice cover through time and to identify perennially ice-covered lakes in the rock record. Ancient perennially ice-covered lakes are expected on Earth and Mars, and their characterization will provide new insights into past climatic conditions and habitability.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/sed.12522}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sed.12522}, author = {Rivera-Hernandez, Frances and Sumner, Dawn Y. and Mackey, Tyler J. and Ian Hawes and Dale T. Andersen} } @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 {4164, title = {Nematodes in a polar desert reveal the relative role of biotic interactions in the coexistence of soil animals}, journal = {Communications Biology}, volume = {2}, year = {2019}, month = {02/2019}, abstract = {

Abiotic factors are major determinants of soil animal distributions and their dominant role is pronounced in extreme ecosystems, with biotic interactions seemingly playing a minor role. We modelled co-occurrence and distribution of the three nematode species that dominate the soil food web of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica). Abiotic factors, other biotic groups, and autocorrelation all contributed to structuring nematode species distributions. However, after removing their effects, we found that the presence of the most abundant nematode species greatly, and negatively, affected the probability of detecting one of the other two species. We observed similar patterns in relative abundances for two out of three pairs of species. Harsh abiotic conditions alone are insufficient to explain contemporary nematode distributions whereas the role of negative biotic interactions has been largely underestimated in soil. The future challenge is to understand how the effects of global change on biotic interactions will alter species coexistence.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/s42003-018-0260-y}, url = {http://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-018-0260-y}, author = {Caruso, Tancredi and Hogg, Ian D. and Uffe N. Nielsen and Bottos, Eric M. and Charles K. Lee and D. W. Hopkins and Craig S Cary and John E. Barrett and Green, T. G. Allan and Storey, Bryan C. and Diana H. Wall and Byron Adams} } @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 {4138, title = {Barium and barite dynamics in Antarctic streams}, journal = {Geology}, volume = {46}, year = {2018}, month = {08/2018}, pages = {811 - 814}, abstract = {

Most natural waters are undersaturated with respect to barite (BaSO4), and while much work has focused on the processes of microbially mediated barite precipitation in undersaturated solutions, particularly in marine environments, little documentation exists on the changes in barite saturation in stream waters. We examined ephemeral glacial meltwater streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, that undergo large variations in streamflow and temperature on both a diel and seasonal basis. We measured dissolved Ba in stream water in downstream transects and on a diel cycle, total Ba in stream sediments, algal mats, and lake sediments. Ba concentrations decreased downstream in all four transects, and mineral saturation modeling indicates these waters go from supersaturated to undersaturated with respect to barite in very short distances. Ba is concentrated in stream benthic algal mats at a factor less than observed in marine systems. Both seasonal and diel changes in stream water temperature affect the solubility of barite near glacial sources. Our work shows that both changing stream temperature and the presence of algal materials likely play significant roles in controlling Ba concentrations in polar streams.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0091-7613}, doi = {10.1130/G45048.1}, url = {https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/545184/Barium-and-barite-dynamics-in-Antarctic-streams}, author = {Saelens, Elsa D. and Christopher B. Gardner and Kathleen A. Welch and Sue Welch and W. Berry Lyons} } @article {4063, title = {Biogeochemical weathering of soil apatite grains in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Geoderma}, volume = {320}, year = {2018}, month = {01/2018}, pages = {136-145}, abstract = {

The biogeochemical weathering of the mineral apatite links the lithosphere to the biosphere by releasing the essential nutrient phosphorus (P) into the soil ecosystem. In Taylor Valley, Antarctica, faster rates of apatite weathering may be responsible for the higher concentrations of bioavailable soil P that exist in the Fryxell Basin as compared to the Bonney Basin. In this study, we use scanning electron microscopy to quantify the morphology and surface etching of individual apatite grains to determine whether the degree of apatite weathering differs between the Fryxell and Bonney Basins as well as saturated and dry soil sediments. We show that apatite grains from the Fryxell Basin are rounder, have fewer intact crystal faces, and are more chemically etched than grains from the Bonney Basin. In the Bonney Basin, apatite grains from dry soils show few signs of chemical dissolution, suggesting that soil moisture is a stronger control on the rate of apatite weathering in the Bonney Basin than in the Fryxell Basin. In addition, etch-pit morphologies in the Bonney Basin are more clearly controlled by the hexagonal crystal structure of apatite, while in the Fryxell Basin, etch pits demonstrate a wide range of morphologies without clear crystallographic control. Higher rates of apatite weathering in the Fryxell Basin may be due to the legacy of the physical abrasion of apatite grains during transport by a warm-based ice sheet, as well as the higher levels of precipitation and soil moisture closer to the coast. Our grain-scale approach provides a new perspective on P cycling in the McMurdo Dry Valleys and has implications for apatite weathering and P dynamics in the early stages of soil development.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {00167061}, doi = {10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.01.027}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706117320694}, author = {Heindel, Ruth C and W. Berry Lyons and Sue Welch and Spickard, Angela M and Ross A. Virginia} } @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 {4106, title = {The impact of fossil fuel burning related to scientific activities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Revisited}, journal = {Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene}, volume = {6}, year = {2018}, month = {04/2018}, abstract = {

Fossil fuel use associated with scienti c activities in the Taylor Valley, Antarctic has been examined to determine the fluxes of particulate organic and elemental carbon and nitrogen as well as NOx\ for the 2015\–2016 austral summer field season. These carbon and nitrogen fluxes are compared to our previously published calculations for the 1997\–1998 austral summer. In addition, we compile fossil fuel usage and resulting C and N fluxes from the major field camp in Taylor Valley, Lake Hoare Camp (LHC) from the late 1990\’s through 2017. In general, the annual fluxes do vary from year to year, but there is no significant trend, at least during the primary summer field season. There is indication that increasing the length of scientific operations does increase the C and N inputs via fossil fuel burning. This works supports our original results demonstrating that over long periods of time the anthropogenic flux of N from local fossil fuel burning could become quantitatively important in the region. Although the particulate C fluxes remain very low, the recent finding of black carbon in the Taylor Valley landscape indicates more on-going monitoring of the source of this material is merited.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, carbon dynamics, emissions, fossil fuels, helicopter, management, McMurdo Dry Valleys, nitrogen, science activites}, doi = {10.1525/elementa.288}, url = {https://www.elementascience.org/article/10.1525/elementa.288/}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and Saelens, Elsa D. and Kathleen A. Welch} } @article {4136, title = {Local and Regional Scale Heterogeneity Drive Bacterial Community Diversity and Composition in a Polar Desert}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {9}, year = {2018}, month = {08/2018}, abstract = {

The distribution of organisms in an environment is neither uniform nor random but is instead spatially patterned. The factors that control this patterning are complex and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Soil microbes are critical to ecosystem function but exhibit highly complex distributions and community dynamics due in large part to the scale-dependent effects of environmental heterogeneity. To better understand the impact of environmental heterogeneity on the distribution of soil microbes, we sequenced the 16S rRNA gene from bacterial communities in the microbe-dominated polar desert ecosystem of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica. Significant differences in key edaphic variables and alpha diversity were observed among the three lake basins of the Taylor Valley (Kruskal\–Wallis; pH: χ2 = 68.89, P \< 0.001, conductivity: χ2 = 35.03, P \< 0.001, observed species: χ2 = 7.98, P = 0.019 and inverse Simpson: χ2 = 18.52, P \< 0.001) and each basin supported distinctive microbial communities (ANOSIM R = 0.466, P = 0.001, random forest ratio of 14.1). However, relationships between community structure and edaphic characteristics were highly variable and contextual, ranging in magnitude and direction across regional, basin, and local scales. Correlations among edaphic factors (pH and soil conductivity) and the relative abundance of specific phyla were most pronounced along local environmental gradients in the Lake Fryxell basin where Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria declined while Deinococcus\–Thermus and Gemmatimonadetes increased with soil conductivity (all P \< 0.1). Species richness was most strongly related to the soil conductivity gradient present within this study system. We suggest that the relative importance of pH versus soil conductivity in structuring microbial communities is related to the length of edaphic gradients and the spatial scale of sampling. These results highlight the importance of conducting studies over large ranges of key environmental gradients and across multiple spatial scales to assess the influence of environmental heterogeneity on the composition and diversity of microbial communities.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2018.01928}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01928/full}, author = {Feeser, Kelli L. and David J. Van Horn and Heather N. Buelow and Colman, Daniel R. and McHugh, Theresa A. and Okie, Jordan G. and Schwartz, Egbert and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach} } @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} } @article {4155, title = {Photoecology of the Antarctic cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. BC1307 brought to light through community analysis, comparative genomics and in vitro photophysiology}, journal = {Molecular Ecology}, volume = {27}, year = {2018}, month = {11/2018}, pages = {5279 - 5293}, abstract = {

Cyanobacteria are important photoautotrophs in extreme environments such as the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Terrestrial Antarctic cyanobacteria experience constant darkness during the winter and constant light during the summer which influences the ability of these organisms to fix carbon over the course of an annual cycle. Here, we present a unique approach combining community structure, genomic and photophysiological analyses to understand adaptation to Antarctic light regimes in the cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. BC1307. We show that Leptolyngbya sp. BC1307 belongs to a clade of cyanobacteria that inhabits near-surface environments in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Genomic analyses reveal that, unlike close relatives, Leptolyngbya sp. BC1307 lacks the genes necessary for production of the pigment phycoerythrin and is incapable of complimentary chromatic acclimation, while containing several genes responsible for known photoprotective pigments. Photophysiology experiments confirmed Leptolyngbya sp. BC1307 to be tolerant of short-term exposure to high levels of photosynthetically active radiation, while sustained exposure reduced its capacity for photoprotection. As such, Leptolyngbya sp. BC1307 likely exploits low-light microenvironments within cyanobacterial mats in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, cyanobacteria, genomics, photoecology, photophysiology}, doi = {10.1111/mec.14953}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mec.14953}, author = {Chrismas, Nathan A. M. and Williamson, Christopher J. and Yallop, Marian L. and Alexandre M. Anesio and S{\'a}nchez-Baracaldo, Patricia} } @article {4061, title = {The physical limnology of a permanently ice-covered and chemically stratified Antarctic lake using high resolution spatial data from an autonomous underwater vehicle}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {63}, year = {2018}, month = {05/2018}, pages = {1234 - 1252}, abstract = {

We used an Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic ANtarctic Explorer to make measurements of conductivity and temperature in Lake Bonney, a chemically stratified, permanently ice-covered Antarctic lake that abuts Taylor Glacier, an outlet glacier from the Polar Plateau. The lake is divided into two lobes \– East Lobe Bonney (ELB) and West Lobe Bonney (WLB), each with unique temperature and salinity profiles. Most of our data were collected in November 2009 from WLB to examine the influence of the Taylor Glacier on the structure of the water column. Temperatures adjacent to the glacier face between 20 m and 22 m were 38C colder than in the rest of WLB, due to latent heat transfer associated with melting of the submerged glacier face and inflow of cold brines that originate beneath the glacier. Melting of the glacier face into the salinity gradient below the chemocline generates a series of nearly horizontal intrusions into WLB that were previously documented in profiles measured with 3 cm vertical resolution in 1990\–1991. WLB and ELB are connected by a narrow channel through which water can be exchanged over a shallow sill that controls the position of the chemocline in WLB. A complex exchange flow appears to exist through the narrows, driven by horizontal density gradients and melting at the glacier face. Superimposed on the exchange is a net west- to-east flow generated by the higher volume of meltwater inflows to WLB. Both of these processes can be expected to be enhanced in the future as more meltwater is produced.\ 

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/lno.10768}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1002/lno.10768/full}, author = {Spigel, Robert H. and John C. Priscu and Maciek K. Obryk and Stone, William C. and Peter T. Doran} } @article {4107, title = {Spatial and temporal patterns of microbial mats and associated invertebrates along an Antarctic stream}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {41}, year = {2018}, month = {10/2018}, pages = {1911{\textendash}1921}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, diatoms, Disturbance, Dry valleys, Epilithon, Microfauna, Stream flow}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-018-2331-4}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00300-018-2331-4}, author = {Andriuzzi, Walter S. and Lee F. Stanish and Breana L. Simmons and Chris Jaros and Byron Adams and Diana H. Wall and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {4059, title = {Stable C and N isotope ratios reveal soil food web structure and identify the nematode Eudorylaimus antarcticus as an omnivore{\textendash}predator in~Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {41}, year = {2018}, month = {05/2018}, pages = {1013{\textendash}1018}, abstract = {

Soil food webs of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica are simple. These include primary trophic levels of mosses, algae, cyanobacteria, bacteria, archaea, and fungi, and their protozoan and metazoan consumers (including relatively few species of nematodes, tardigrades, rotifers, and microarthropods). These biota are patchily distributed across the landscape, with greatest faunal biodiversity associated with wet soil. Understanding trophic structure is critical to studies of biotic interactions and distribution; yet, McMurdo Dry Valley soil food web structure has been inferred from limited laboratory culturing and micro- scopic observations. To address this, we measured stable isotope natural abundance ratios of C (13C/12C) and N (15N/14N) for di erent metazoan taxa (using whole body biomass) to determine soil food web structure in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Nitrogen isotopes were most useful in di erentiating trophic levels because they fractionated predictably at higher trophic levels. Using 15N/14N, we found that three trophic levels were present in wet soil habitats. While cyanobacterial mats were the primary trophic level, the nematode Plectus murrayi, tardigrade Acutuncus antarcticus, and rotifers composed a secondary trophic level of grazers. Eudorylaimus antarcticus had a 15N/14N ratio that was 2\–4\‰ higher than that of grazers, indicating that this species is the sole member of a tertiary trophic level. Understanding the trophic positions of soil fauna is critical to predictions of current and future species interactions and their distributions for the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-017-2243-8}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00300-017-2243-8}, author = {Shaw, E. Ashley and Byron Adams and John E. Barrett and W. Berry Lyons and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall} } @article {4139, title = {Stoichiometric Shifts in Soil C:N:P Promote Bacterial Taxa Dominance, Maintain Biodiversity, and Deconstruct Community Assemblages}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {9}, year = {2018}, month = {07/2018}, abstract = {

Imbalances in C:N:P supply ratios may cause bacterial resource limitations and constrain biogeochemical processes, but the importance of shifts in soil stoichiometry are complicated by the nearly limitless interactions between an immensely rich species pool and a multiple chemical resource forms. To more clearly identify the impact of soil C:N:P on bacteria, we evaluated the cumulative effects of single and coupled long-term nutrient additions (i.e., C as mannitol, N as equal concentrations NH4 + and NO3 \− , and P as Na3PO4) and water on communities in an Antarctic polar desert, Taylor Valley. Untreated soils possessed relatively low bacterial diversity, simplified organic C sources due to the absence of plants, limited inorganic N, and excess soil P potentially attenuating links between C:N:P. After 6 years of adding resources, an alleviation of C and N colimitation allowed one rare Micrococcaceae, an Arthrobacter species, to dominate, comprising 47\% of the total community abundance and elevating soil respiration by 136\% relative to untreated soils. The addition of N alone reduced C:N ratios, elevated bacterial richness and diversity, and allowed rare taxa relying on ammonium and nitrite for metabolism to become more abundant [e.g., nitrite oxidizing Nitrospira species (Nitrosomonadaceae), denitrifiers utilizing nitrite (Gemmatimonadaceae) and members of Rhodobacteraceae with a high affinity for ammonium]. Based on community co-occurrence networks, lower C:P ratios in soils following P and CP additions created more diffuse and less connected communities by disrupting 73\% of species interactions and selecting for taxa potentially exploiting abundant P. Unlike amended nutrients, water additions alone elicited no lasting impact on communities. Our results suggest that as soils become nutrient rich a wide array of outcomes are possible from species dominance and the deconstruction of species interconnectedness to the maintenance of biodiversity.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, ecological stoichiometry, Lake Fryxell Basin, McMurdo Dry Valleys, network community modeling, nutrient colimitation, Solirubrobacteriaceae}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2018.01401}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01401/full}, author = {Aanderud, Zachary T. and Saurey, Sabrina D. and Ball, Becky and Diana H. Wall and John E. Barrett and Muscarella, Mario E. and Griffin, Natasha A. and Ross A. Virginia and Byron Adams} } @phdthesis {4158, title = {Trophic relationships in soil communities how abiotic stress affects biotic interactions in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2018}, pages = {119}, school = {Colorado State University}, type = {doctoral}, abstract = {

Understanding of the distribution and complexity of soil food webs and their role in ecosystem processes is limited. This is partially due to the difficulty studying the enormous diversity of species in belowground ecosystems and identifying the many roles of this diversity in ecosystem processes. Despite this, there is strong interest in understanding how the soil food web contributes to ecosystem processes such as decomposition, nutrient cycling, and carbon cycling. Yet, before we can fully understand how soil food webs are linked to ecosystem processes, more information is needed on their complex trophic interactions and how soil food webs respond to changing environmental variables. The McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica provide an excellent opportunity to study soil communities and their trophic interactions because of soil food web simplicity and limited ecological interactions that are not easily distinguished in more diverse systems. However, it is unknown whether trophic interactions actually play a role in structuring soil communities in this ecosystem and whether these interactions are affected by environmental factors. The aim of this dissertation is to disentangle those questions.

In the first chapter of this dissertation, I give the background for my research. I introduce the challenges for studying soil biodiversity and its food web structure. Next, I discuss the usefulness of the McMurdo Dry Valleys as a simple, model system for researching trophic interactions in soil. The details of the current understanding of the McMurdo Dry Valley soil food web are demonstrated and I have highlighted gaps in this knowledge. In the second chapter\ of this dissertation, I address the question: What trophic interactions are present in the McMurdo Dry Valley soils? Here, I sought to elucidate the soil food web structure using stable isotopes (particularly 15N) and I present isotopic signatures for soil fauna taxa for one location in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. The natural abundance of 13C and 15N were measured for soil fauna and microbial mats sampled in both wet and dry soils near Von Guerard stream. This study revealed that three trophic levels were present in wet soils at this location and two trophic levels were present in dry soil. This is the first isotopic confirmation of Eudorylaimus antarcticus (Nematoda) as an omnivore-predator (in wet soil habitat), and challenges long-held assumptions of trophic simplicity of the McMurdo Dry Valley region.

Building on the findings of Chapter 2, Chapter 3 seeks to expand the understanding of dry valley food webs and the role of trophic interactions in structuring communities under environmental change. Specifically, I address the question: How do environmental variables (soil salinity and moisture) affect dry valley soil taxa and their trophic interactions? I show the results of a laboratory microcosm experiment on how elevated salinity and moisture affect four soil communities. Using soil collected from Taylor Valley, Antarctica, bacteria, bacteria with Scottnema lindsayae, bacteria with E. antarcticus, and bacteria with both S. lindsayae and\ E. antarcticus were established in microcosms under control or high salinity treatments and control or high moisture treatments (full factorial design). The results of this experiment showed that S. lindsayae has top down effects on bacterial abundance under control salinity but these top down effects were alleviated under high salinity. This study is the first to empirically show that biological interactions structure dry valley soil communities.

The fourth chapter follows the conclusions of Chapters 2 and 3, and seeks to determine food web structure and trophic interactions at the landscape scale in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. I\ sampled soil from 160 sites across 8 valleys ranging from the coast to high elevation near the polar plateau to address the question: How does the soil food web and its organic carbon sources vary across the McMurdo Dry Valley landscape with distance from coast and elevation? These valleys represent a temperature and moisture gradient, which affects ecosystem primary productivity. This study revealed that food web structure varies by habitat \– the most diverse and complex trophic interactions exist in wet habitat near the coast where resources are more abundant. However, in dry habitat, where organic carbon resources are scarce, up to two trophic levels exist. These results build off of Chapter 2, and show that E. antarcticus can occupy either a predator trophic position when resources are high (wet soil) or a primary consumer position when resources are low (dry soil). Since climate-driven increases in hydrological connectivity are expected to alter soil moisture and resources, the distribution and abundance of soil biodiversity and their biotic interactions in formerly dry soil habitats may ultimately shift.

In Chapter 5, I asked if the lessons learned about soil food webs in the McMurdo Dry Valleys apply to a more complex ecosystem? In this study, I used soil nematode communities from the Loch Vale Watershed (Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado) to test whether long-term nitrogen addition affected soil food web structure and function. Results from this study indicated that a faster-cycling, bacterial food web was prevalent in N-addition plots, as evidenced by abundance of r-selected bacterivore nematodes. Previously, lower bacterial abundance and soil carbon were found in the N-addition plots (compared to control) and the results presented in this dissertation suggest that these changes are likely trophic. Along with Chapter 3, the evidence that I present here support the hypothesis for top-down effects of microbivore nematodes on bacteria, which is consistent in subalpine and Antarctic soils.

In summary, through both field and laboratory experiments, my PhD project has:\ 1) defined the soil food web structure of the McMurdo Dry Valleys using stable isotopes;\ 2) revealed how top down interactions affect bacteria populations and how elevated stress (e.g. soil salinity) relieves the top down pressure; 3) showed how the soil food web structure varies across the landscape of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica as related to soil C sources; and 4) shown how nitrogen addition affects soil food web dynamics in Colorado sub-alpine\ soil nematode community (Loch Vale Watershed, LVWS, Rocky Mountain National\ Park). These results have informed our understanding of soil communities and their\ trophic relationships in polar and subalpine ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://search.proquest.com/openview/0d494a3f115b75da1c7a2464e341808f/1?pq-origsite=gscholar\&cbl=18750\&diss=y}, author = {Shaw, E. Ashley and Diana H. Wall} } @article {4031, title = {Characterizing hyporheic exchange processes using high-frequency electrical conductivity-discharge relationships on subhourly to interannual timescales}, journal = {Water Resources Research}, volume = {53}, year = {2017}, month = {05/2017}, pages = {4124 - 4141}, abstract = {

Concentration-discharge (C-Q) relationships are often used to quantify source water contributions and biogeochemical processes occurring within catchments, especially during discrete hydrological events. Yet, the interpretation of C-Q hysteresis is often confounded by complexity of the critical zone, such as numerous source waters and hydrochemical nonstationarity. Consequently, researchers must often ignore important runoff pathways and geochemical sources/sinks, especially the hyporheic zone because it lacks a distinct hydrochemical signature. Such simplifications limit efforts to identify processes responsible for the transience of C-Q hysteresis over time. To address these limitations, we leverage the hydrologic simplicity and long-term, high-frequency Q and electrical conductivity (EC) data from streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. In this two end-member system, EC can serve as a proxy for the concentration of solutes derived from the hyporheic zone. We utilize a novel approach to decompose loops into subhysteretic EC-Q dynamics to identify individual mechanisms governing hysteresis across a wide range of timescales. We find that hydrologic and hydraulic processes govern EC response to diel and seasonal Q variability and that the effects of hyporheic mixing processes on C-Q transience differ in short and long streams. We also observe that variable hyporheic turnover rates govern EC-Q patterns at daily to interannual timescales. Last, subhysteretic analysis reveals a period of interannual freshening of glacial meltwater streams related to the effects of unsteady flow on hyporheic exchange. The subhysteretic analysis framework we introduce may be applied more broadly to constrain the processes controlling C-Q transience and advance understanding of catchment evolution.\ 

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/wrcr.v53.510.1002/2016WR019739}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016WR019739/full}, author = {Singley, Joel G. and Wlostowski, Adam and Bergstrom, Anna J. and Eric R. Sokol and Torrens, Christa L. and Chris Jaros and Wilson, Colleen E. and Hendrickson, Patrick J. and Michael N. Gooseff} } @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 {4022, title = {Decadal ecosystem response to an anomalous melt season in a polar desert in Antarctica}, journal = {Nature Ecology \& Evolution}, volume = {1}, year = {2017}, month = {09/2017}, pages = {1334-1338}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/s41559-017-0253-0}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0253-0}, author = {Michael N. Gooseff and John E. Barrett and Byron Adams and Peter T. Doran and Andrew G Fountain and W. Berry Lyons and Diane M. McKnight and John C. Priscu and Eric R. Sokol and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Martijn L. Vandegehuchte and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall} } @article {4019, title = {Diversity and Distribution of Freshwater Aerobic Anoxygenic Phototrophic Bacteria across a Wide Latitudinal Gradient}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {8}, year = {2017}, month = {02/2017}, abstract = {

Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs (AAPs) have been shown to exist in numerous marine and brackish environments where they are hypothesized to play important ecological roles. Despite their potential significance, the study of freshwater AAPs is in its infancy and limited to local investigations. Here, we explore the occurrence, diversity and distribution of AAPs in lakes covering a wide latitudinal gradient: Mongolian and German lakes located in temperate regions of Eurasia, tropical Great East African lakes, and polar permanently ice-covered Antarctic lakes. Our results show a widespread distribution of AAPs in lakes with contrasting environmental conditions and confirm that this group is composed of different members of the Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria. While latitude does not seem to strongly influence AAP abundance, clear patterns of community structure and composition along geographic regions were observed as indicated by a strong macro-geographical signal in the taxonomical composition of AAPs. Overall, our results suggest that the distribution patterns of freshwater AAPs are likely driven by a combination of small-scale environmental conditions (specific of each lake and region) and large-scale geographic factors (climatic regions across a latitudinal gradient).

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2017.00175}, url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2017.00175/full}, author = {Ferrera, Isabel and Sarmento, Hugo and John C. Priscu and Amy Chiuchiolo and Jos{\'e} M. Gonz{\'a}lez and Grossart, Hans-Peter} } @thesis {4099, title = {The geochemistry of minor cations within Antarctic stream water: Determining the role of the hyporheic zone}, volume = {B.A.}, year = {2017}, school = {The Ohio State University}, type = {bachelors}, address = {Columbus, OH}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://library.ohio-state.edu/record=b8218699~S7}, author = {Saelens, Elsa D.}, editor = {W. Berry Lyons} } @article {4101, title = {High-resolution elevation mapping of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, and surrounding regions}, journal = {Earth System Science Data}, volume = {9}, year = {2017}, month = {07/2017}, pages = {435 - 443}, abstract = {

We present detailed surface elevation measurements for the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica derived from aerial lidar surveys flown in the austral summer of 2014\–2015 as part of an effort to understand geomorphic changes over the past decade. Lidar return density varied from 2 to \> 10 returns m\−2\ with an average of about 5 returns m\−2. Vertical and horizontal accuracies are estimated to be 7 and 3 cm, respectively. In addition to our intended targets, other ad hoc regions were also surveyed including the Pegasus flight facility and two regions on Ross Island, McMurdo Station, Scott Base (and surroundings), and the coastal margin between Cape Royds and Cape Evans. These data are included in this report and data release. The combined data are freely available at\ https://doi.org/10.5069/G9D50JX3.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.5194/essd-9-435-2017}, url = {https://www.earth-syst-sci-data.net/9/435/2017/essd-9-435-2017.pdf}, author = {Andrew G Fountain and Fernandez-Diaz, Juan C. and Maciek K. Obryk and Joseph S. Levy and Michael N. Gooseff and David J. Van Horn and Morin, P and Shrestha, Ramesh} } @article {4032, title = {Impacts of permafrost degradation on a stream in Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Geomorphology}, volume = {285}, year = {2017}, month = {05/2017}, pages = {205 - 213}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica are an ice-free landscape that supports a complex, microbially dominated ecosystem despite a severely arid, cold environment (b 5 cm water equivalent/y, \− 18 \°C mean annual air temperature). Recent observations of permafrost degradation in the coastal zones of the MDV suggest that this region is nearing a threshold of rapid landscape change. In 2012, substantial thermokarst development was observed along several kilometers of the west branch of Crescent Stream in Taylor Valley mostly in the form of bank failures, whereas the adjacent east branch was unaffected. The objective of this study was to quantify the changes to the stream banks of the west branch of Crescent Stream and to determine the impacts on the composition of the stream bed material. Three annually repeated terrestrial LiDAR scans were compared to determine the rates of ground surface change caused by thermokarst formation on the stream bank. The areal extent of the thermokarst was shown to be decreasing; however, the average vertical rate of retreat remained constant. Field measurements of bed materials indicated that the west branch and the reach downstream of the confluence (of east and west branches) consistently contained more fines than the unaffected east branch. This suggests that the finer bed material is a result of the thermokarst development on the west branch. These finer bed material compositions are likely to increase the mobility of the bed material, which will have implications for stream morphology, stream algal mat communities, and downstream aquatic ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.02.009}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0169555X16308467}, author = {Sudman, Zachary and Michael N. Gooseff and Andrew G Fountain and Joseph S. Levy and Maciek K. Obryk and David J. Van Horn} } @article {3990, title = {Landscape-scale soil phosphorus variability in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {29}, year = {2017}, month = {06/2017}, pages = {252-263}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102016000742}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0954102016000742/type/journal_article}, author = {Heindel, Ruth C and Spickard, Angela M and Ross A. Virginia} } @article {4016, title = {Life cycle size dynamics in Didymosphenia geminata (Bacillariophyceae)}, journal = {Journal of Phycology}, volume = {53}, year = {2017}, month = {06/2017}, pages = {652 - 663}, abstract = {

Didymosphenia geminata has received a great deal of attention in the last 25 years, and considerable effort has gone into determining the origin, ecological impact, and economic consequences of its invasive behavior. While environmental conditions are a controlling influence in distribution, the extreme success of the species may be tied to its basic biology and life history. Little is known, however, about population dynamics, size restoration and reproduction of D. geminata. The objective of this study was to determine the temporal patterns in cell size frequency, size restoration strategy, and synchronization of life cycles between populations in close proximity. We implemented FlowCam technology to measure the length of more than 100,000 D. geminata cells from two sites in South Boulder Creek, Colorado over 1 year. We applied finite mixture modeling to uncover temporal patterns in size distribution. Our results show that collections of D. geminata exhibited a complex, multimodal size distribution, almost always containing four overlapping age cohorts. We failed to observe direct visual evidence of the sexual phase. Multiple abrupt and directional shifts in size distribution, however, were documented providing conclusive evidence of cell size restoration. Lastly, nodules in close proximity were asynchronous with respect to size frequency profiles and size diminution, highlighting the relevance of spatial heterogeneity in in situ diatom size dynamics. This study is the first to document the complexity of diatom cell size distribution in a lotic system, size restoration in D. geminata, and the variability in rates of size reduction at microhabitat spatial scales.\ 

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/jpy.2017.53.issue-310.1111/jpy.12528}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpy.12528/full}, author = {Bishop, Ian W. and Sarah A. Spaulding} } @mastersthesis {4067, title = {Nitrate Dynamics Under Unsteady and Intermittent Flow in an Antarctic Stream}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2017}, school = {University of Colorado at Boulder}, type = {masters}, abstract = {

Low order streams are a primary vector and modulator for the transport of anthropogenically derived reactive nitrogen, especially as nitrate (NO3\–). A large proportion of low orders streams experience short-term unsteady and intermittent flow conditions, and the prevalence of these dynamics is likely to increase due to climate change and human management. While such hydrologic variability is recognized as an important first-order control on the transport of NO3\–, prior reliance on manual sampling has resulted in a disparity between our understanding physical and hydrochemical dynamics at short-timescales, such that a large gap exists in our understanding of how unsteady and intermittent sub-daily discharge affects instream NO3\– transport patterns. To address this challenge, I used in situ sensors to collect high-frequency (i.e., 15 minute) NO3\– concentration and discharge data in an ephemeral, oligotrophic glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. I analyzed concentration-discharge relationships using a power-law framework to identify a flow threshold that governed NO3\– transport dynamics. I observed relative chemostasis of NO3\– during large magnitude diel flood pulsing events. This suggests that biological and physical processes controlling the transport and transformation of NO3\–, and N more generally, are likely to exhibit spatial and temporal variability at very short timescales in response to extreme hydrologic variability. Such spatiotemporal variability in N processing dynamics has not been included in prior conceptual models of N cycling in MDV streams. As such, I propose a conceptual model in which short-term flow pulsing and cessation shift sediment redox conditions and microbial processes such that the shallow hyporheic zone temporally becomes a net source and storage zone for a spatially distributed pool of NO3\–. The results of this approach will inform understanding of how highly variable hydrological conditions measured at very short timescales interacts with instream biogeochemical processes to control N transport.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://search.proquest.com/openview/88a6ce6614e2a0cfc757c8fd7a887504/1?pq-origsite=gscholar\&cbl=18750\&diss=y}, author = {Singley, Joel G.}, editor = {Eve-Lyn S. Hinckley} } @article {3965, title = {A simulation-based approach to understand how metacommunity characteristics influence emergent biodiversity patterns}, journal = {Oikos}, volume = {126}, year = {2017}, month = {05/2017}, pages = {723-737}, abstract = {

To understand controls over biodiversity, it is necessary to take a multi-scale approach to understand how local and regional factors a ect the community assembly processes that drive emergent patterns. \ is need is re ected in the growing use of the metacommunity concept to interpret multi-scale measures of biodiversity, including metrics derived from diversity partitioning (e.g. a, b and g diversity) and variation partitioning (e.g. spatial and environmental components of compositional turnover) techniques. However, studies have shown limited success using these metrics to characterize underlying community assembly dynamics. Here we demonstrate how a metacommunity simulation package (MCSim) can be used to evaluate when and how biodiversity metrics can be used to make inferences about metacommunity characteristics. We examined a wide range of parameter settings representing ecologically relevant scenarios. We used artificial neural networks (ANNs) to assess the sensitivity of diversity and variation partitioning metrics (calculated from simulation outcomes) to metacommunity parameter settings. In the scenarios examined in this study, the niche-neutral gradient strongly in uenced most biodiversity metrics, metacommunity size exhibited a marginal influence over some metrics, and dispersal dynamics only a ected a subset of variation partitioning outcomes. Variation partitioning response curves along the niche-neutral gradient were not monotonic; however, simulation outcomes suggest other biodiversity metrics (e.g. dissimilarity saturation) can be used in combination with variation partitioning metrics to make inferences about metacommunity properties. With the growing availability of archived ecological data, we expect future work will apply simulation-based techniques to better understand links between biodiversity and the metacommunity characteristics that are presumed to control the underlying community assembly processes.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/oik.03690}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/oik.03690}, author = {Eric R. Sokol and Brown, Bryan L. and John E. Barrett} } @article {4018, title = {Thermal autecology describes the occurrence patterns of four benthic diatoms in McMurdo Dry Valley streams}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {40}, year = {2017}, month = {06/2017}, pages = {2381-2396}, abstract = {

Benthic microbial mats in the glacial-fed melt- water streams are hotspots of productivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica. Benthic diatoms are common in these mats and the[45 primarily endemic taxa represent the most diverse group of eukaryotes in the MDV. In this harsh polar desert, streams are thermally dynamic with daily water temperatures varying 6\–9 \°C and daily maximum temperatures as high as 15 \°C. Stream temperature may play a role in determining growth rates and survival strategies. To understand taxon-specific adaptations to their environment, we measured the growth rates of unialgal cultures of four diatom taxa (Psammothidium papilio, Hantzschia abundans, Hantzschia amphioxys, and Hantzschia amphioxys f. muelleri) under three temperature conditions (7.6, 10, and 15 \°C) that were representative of maximum daily stream temperatures. We found that P. papilio exhibited a constant growth rate across the full temperature range; this species is most common in streams that begin to flow early in the summer and with less variable thermal regimes. Growth rates for H. abundans were greatest at 15 \°C, but showed a non-linear relationship with temperature. H. amphioxys f. muelleri

grew faster than the other taxa studied and thrived at 10 \°C. Hantzschia amphioxys grew only at the two lower temperatures. These results aligned with the observed relationships between each taxon\’s relative abundance and stream temperatures in the long-term record maintained by the MDV Long-Term Ecological Research program. Overall, our observations suggest that differences in thermal optima may be one factor contributing to and maintaining the diversity of benthic diatom flora in the MDV.
}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-017-2151-y}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-017-2151-y}, author = {Darling, Joshua P. and Garland, Deena D. and Lee F. Stanish and Rhea M.M. Esposito and Eric R. Sokol and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {3713, title = {Aerobiology Over Antarctica {\textendash} A New Initiative for Atmospheric Ecology}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {776796194610314927235011365134445142846479110123936574}, year = {2016}, month = {02/2016}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2016.00016}, url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/Article/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00016/abstract}, author = {Pearce, David A. and Alekhina, Irina A. and Terauds, Aleks and Wilmotte, Annick and Quesada, Antonio and Edwards, Arwyn and Dommergue, Aurelien and Sattler, Birgit and Byron Adams and Magalhaes, Catarina and Chu, Wan-Loy and Lau, Maggie C. Y. and Craig S Cary and Smith, David J. and Diana H. Wall and Eguren, Gabriela and Matcher, Gwynneth and Bradley, James A. and de Vera, Jean-Pierre and Elster, Josef and Hughes, Kevin A. and Cuthbertson, Lewis and Benning, Liane G. and Gunde-Cimerman, Nina and Convey, Peter and Hong, Soon Gyu and Pointing, Steve B. and Pellizari, Vivian H. and Vincent, Warwick F.} } @article {3717, title = {Biogeochemistry and microbial diversity in the marine cavity beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {61}, year = {2016}, month = {11/2015}, pages = {572 - 586}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/lno.v61.210.1002/lno.10234}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/lno.v61.2http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/lno.10234http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002\%2Flno.10234}, author = {Trista J. Vick-Majors and Achberger, Amanda and Santib{\'a}{\~n}ez, Pamela and John E. Dore and Hodson, Timothy and Alexander B. Michaud and Brent C. Christner and Jill Ai, Jill. Mikucki and Skidmore, Mark L. and Powell, Ross and Adkins, W. Peyton and Barbante, Carlo and Mitchell, Andrew and Scherer, Reed and John C. Priscu} } @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} } @phdthesis {4035, title = {Factors influencing the abundance of microorganisms in icy environments}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2016}, pages = {236}, school = {Montana State University}, type = {doctoral}, abstract = {

Microbial life can easily live without us; we, however, cannot survive without the global catalysis and environmental transformations it provides (Falkowski et al., 2008). Despite of the key role of microbes on Earth, microbial community characteristics are not explicitly part of climate models because our understanding of their responses to long-term environmental and climatic processes is limited. In this study, I developed a Flow Cytometric protocol to access a long-term record of non-photosynthetic prokaryotic cell concentration archived in the West Antarctic Ice-Sheet (WAIS; chapter 2). The WD ice core was retrieved between 2009 and 2011 to a depth of 3,405 m, extending back to 68,000 before 1950. Once a 17,400 year-record of prokaryotic cell concentration was acquired, I investigated its temporal variability and patterns, determined the potential sources of prokaryotic cells between the Last Glacial Maximum and the early Holocene, and assessed the environmental factors that might have the largest influence on the prokaryotic response (chapter 3). The observed patterns in the prokaryotic record are linked to large-scale controls of the Southern Ocean and West Antarctica Ice-Sheet. The main research findings presented here about the first prokaryotic record are: (i) airborne prokaryotic cell concentration does respond to long-term climatic and environmental processes, (ii) the processes of deglaciation, sea level rise and sea-ice fluctuation were key; the abundance of prokaryotic cells covariate with ssNa and black carbon, and (iii) the prokaryotic cell record variate on millennial time scale with cycles of 1,490-years. In addition, I studied congelation ice (i.e., ice forms as liquid water freezes) from ice-covered lakes to understand prokaryotic cell segregation between liquid and solid phases during the physical freezing process. Five mesocosm experiments were designed to understand prokaryotic responses to the progressive freezing in concert with field observations from ice-covered lakes from Barrow, Alaska. As a result of this last study (chapter 4), I concluded that prokaryotic cells are preferentially incorporated in the ice with segregation coefficients (Keff) between 0.8\–4.4, which are higher than for major ions. Prokaryotic cells avoid rejection more effectively from the ice matrix.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/openview/eb36d8ca7f2f1308b69e87a6c37f0a72/1?pq-origsite=gscholar\&cbl=18750\&diss=y}, author = {Santib{\'a}{\~n}ez, Pamela} } @article {4102, title = {The Impact of a Large-Scale Climate Event on Antarctic Ecosystem Processes}, journal = {BioScience}, volume = {66}, year = {2016}, month = {10/2016}, pages = {848 - 863}, abstract = {

Extreme climate and weather events, such as a drought, hurricanes, or ice storms, can strongly imprint ecosystem processing and may alter ecosystem structure. Ecosystems in extreme environments are particularly vulnerable because of their adaptation to severe limitations in energy, water, or nutrients. The vulnerability can be expressed as a relatively long-lasting ecosystem response to a small or brief change in environmental conditions. Such an event occurred in Antarctica and affected two vastly different ecosystems: a marine-dominated coastal system and a terrestrial polar desert. Both sites experienced winds that warmed air temperatures above the 0\°C threshold, resulting in extensive snow and ice melt and triggering a series of cascading effects through the ecosystems that are continuing to play out more than a decade later. This highlights the sensitivity of Antarctic ecosystems to warming events, which should occur more frequently in the future with global climate warming.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0006-3568}, doi = {10.1093/biosci/biw110}, url = {http://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-pdf/66/10/848/7510601/biw110.pdf}, author = {Andrew G Fountain and Saba, Grace and Byron Adams and Peter T. Doran and Fraser, William and Michael N. Gooseff and Maciek K. Obryk and John C. Priscu and Sharon E. Stammerjohn and Ross A. Virginia} } @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 {3952, title = {Microbial Community Responses to Increased Water and Organic Matter in the Arid Soils of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {7}, year = {2016}, month = {07/2016}, chapter = {1040}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2016.01040}, url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01040}, author = {Heather N. Buelow and Winter, Ara S. and David J. Van Horn and John E. Barrett and Michael N. Gooseff and Schwartz, Egbert and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach} } @article {4013, title = {Microbial Community Structure of Subglacial Lake Whillans, West Antarctica}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {7}, year = {2016}, month = {Oct-09-2017}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2016.01457}, url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/Article/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01457/abstract}, author = {Achberger, Amanda and Brent C. Christner and Alexander B. Michaud and John C. Priscu and Skidmore, Mark L. and Trista J. Vick-Majors} } @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 {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 {4033, title = {Physiological Ecology of Microorganisms in Subglacial Lake Whillans}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {7}, year = {2016}, month = {Mar-10-2018}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2016.01705}, url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01705/fullhttp://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01705/full}, author = {Trista J. Vick-Majors and Mitchell, Andrew and Achberger, Amanda and Brent C. Christner and John E. Dore and Alexander B. Michaud and Jill A. Mikucki and Purcell, Alicia M. and Skidmore, Mark L. and John C. Priscu} } @article {4030, title = {Responses of Antarctic Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems to Changing Ice Conditions}, journal = {BioScience}, volume = {66}, year = {2016}, month = {Jan-10-2016}, pages = {864 - 879}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0006-3568}, doi = {10.1093/biosci/biw109}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biw109https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/66/10/864/2415532/Responses-of-Antarctic-Marine-and-Freshwater}, author = {Maciek K. Obryk and Peter T. Doran and Friedlaender, Ari S. and Michael N. Gooseff and Li, Wei and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and John C. Priscu and Schofield, Oscar and Sharon E. Stammerjohn and Steinberg, Deborah K. and Hugh W. Ducklow} } @article {3875, title = {Stream biogeochemical and suspended sediment responses to permafrost degradation in stream banks in Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Biogeosciences}, volume = {13}, year = {2016}, month = {03/2016}, pages = {1723 - 1732}, abstract = {

\ Stream channels in the McMurdo Dry Valleys are characteristically wide, incised, and stable. At typical flows, streams occupy a fraction of the oversized channels, providing habitat for algal mats. In January 2012, we discovered substantial channel erosion and subsurface thermomechanical erosion undercutting banks of the Crescent Stream. We sampled stream water along the impacted reach and compared concentrations of solutes to the long-term data from this stream (\ \∼\  20 years of monitoring). Thermokarst-impacted stream water demonstrated higher electrical conductivity, and concentrations of chloride, sulfate, sodium, and nitrate than the long-term medians. These results suggest that this mode of lateral permafrost degradation may substantially impact stream solute loads and potentially fertilize stream and lake ecosystems. The potential for sediment to scour or bury stream algal mats is yet to be determined, though it may offset impacts of associated increased nutrient loads to streams.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.5194/bg-13-1723-2016}, url = {http://www.biogeosciences.net/13/1723/2016/bg-13-1723-2016.pdf}, author = {Michael N. Gooseff and David J. Van Horn and Sudman, Zachary and Diane M. McKnight and Kathleen A. Welch and W. Berry Lyons} } @article {3248, title = {Antarctic microbial mats: A modern analog for Archean lacustrine oxygen oases}, journal = {Geology}, year = {2015}, month = {10/2015}, pages = {G36966.1}, abstract = {

The evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis was the most important geochemical event in

Earth history, causing the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) ~2.4 b.y. ago. However, evidence is mixed as to whether O2 production occurred locally as much as 2.8 b.y. ago, creating O2 oases, or initiated just prior to the GOE. The biogeochemical dynamics of possible O2 oases have been poorly constrained due to the absence of modern analogs. However, cyanobacteria in microbial mats in a perennially anoxic region of Lake Fryxell, Antarctica, create a 1\–2 mm O2-containing layer in the upper mat during summer, providing the first known modern analog for formation of benthic O2 oases. In Lake Fryxell, benthic cyanobacteria are present below the oxycline in the lake. Mat photosynthesis rates were slow due to low photon flux rate (1\–2 μmol m-2 s-1) under thick ice cover, but photosynthetic O2 production was sufficient to sustain up to 50 μmol O2 L-1, sandwiched between anoxic overlying water and anoxic sedi- ments. We hypothesize that Archean cyanobacteria could have similarly created O2 oases in benthic mats prior to the GOE. Analogous mats may have been at least partly responsible for geological evidence of oxidative weathering prior to the GOE, and habitats such as Lake Fryxell provide natural laboratories where the impact of benthic O2 oases on biogeochemical signatures can be investigated.\ 

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0091-7613}, doi = {10.1130/G36966.1}, url = {http://geology.gsapubs.org/lookup/doi/10.1130/G36966.1}, author = {Sumner, Dawn Y. and Ian Hawes and Mackey, Tyler J. and Jungblut, Anne D. and Peter T. Doran} } @thesis {3200, title = {Chemical Weathering and Mineralogy of McMurdo Dry Valley Streams: Examining the Controls of Current and Future Ephemeral Stream Geochemistry}, volume = {Undergraduate Theses}, year = {2015}, month = {05/2015}, pages = {38}, type = {bachelors}, address = {Ohio State University}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys form the largest ice-free region in Antarctica and are the coldest, driest deserts in the world. But, for approximately 6-12 weeks per year in the austral summer, continuous sunlight and near-freezing temperatures create meltwater streams that descend from the surrounding alpine glaciers. These ephemeral streams are a distinctive feature in the barren dry valley landscape and are important sources of nutrients and solutes from the weathering of streambed and hyporheic zone materials. This setting has been a US National Science Foundation funded Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project since 1993. A major goal of the McMurdo LTER is to understand how liquid water, the primary limiting condition for life in Antarctica, is affected by climate variability. The McMurdo Dry Valleys are extremely climate-sensitive and even seemingly small variations in temperature can have a drastic effect on hydrological activity. The McMurdo LTER program has been successful in collecting and analyzing a large amount of stream data pertaining to weathering products but, a more comprehensive analysis and interpretation of the data have yet to be undertaken. Assessment of current and future stream geochemistry is critical to predict the impact of increased water flow due to glacier melt and increasing temperature which could greatly influence the ecological function and biologic diversity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Surface sediments were collected at multiple locations from ephemeral streams and analyzed using a scanning electron microscope and x-ray diffraction to determine sediment mineralogy and evidence of chemical weathering. Geochemical reactions were modeled using previously collected stream water data and the USGS PHREEQC software for the speciation calculations and the assessment of the solubility controlling solid phases. Chemical weathering was apparent through visible mineral alteration and the formation of secondary weathering products. Modeling results indicate that stream geochemistry will not significantly be affected by increased water temperature in the future. These results suggest stream geochemistry and chemical weathering may instead be controlled primarily through hydrologic exchange in the hyporheic zone.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/1811/68887}, author = {Scheuermann, Jordan and W. Berry Lyons} } @article {3254, title = {Cyanobacterial diversity in benthic mats of the McMurdo Dry Valley lakes, Antarctica}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {38}, year = {2015}, month = {01/2015}, pages = {1097 - 1110}, abstract = {
Perennially ice-covered, meromictic lakes in\ the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, are useful models to\ study the relationship between cyanobacterial and environmental\ variables. They have rich benthic cyanobacterial\ mat accumulations and stable stratification of physical and\ chemical conditions. Here, we evaluated cyanobacteria\ from benthic mats from multiple depths in three geographically\ separated ice-covered lakes, Lakes Vanda,\ Hoare and Joyce, using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. We\ identified 19 ribotypes, mostly Oscillatoriales and several
Chroococcales, as well as potentially novel cyanobacterial\ ribotypes. The majority of ribotype diversity was shared\ between lakes, and only a weak relationship between ribotype\ community structure and environmental variables\ was evident. Multivariate analysis of all lake\–depth combinations\ implied that photosynthetically active radiation,\ dissolved reactive phosphorus and conductivity were\ potentially important for shaping benthic communities in\ McMurdo Dry Valley lakes. Cyanobacterial-specific pigment\ signature analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography
showed that the cyanobacterial communities\ responded to light conditions similarly, irrespective of\ community composition. The results imply a capability\ within a suite of cyanobacteria to colonise, adapt and grow\ across broad environmental ranges and geographic space,\ and such adaptability may provide a high degree of community\ resistance and resilience to future climate-driven\ environmental change in Antarctic terrestrial aquatic
ecosystems.
}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0722-4060}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-015-1669-0}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00300-015-1669-0http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00300-015-1669-0}, author = {Zhang, L. and Jungblut, Anne D. and Ian Hawes and Dale T. Andersen and Sumner, Dawn Y. and Mackey, Tyler J.} } @article {3012, title = {Deep groundwater and potential subsurface habitats beneath an Antarctic dry valley}, journal = {Nature Communications}, volume = {6}, year = {2015}, month = {Apr-04-2017}, pages = {6831}, abstract = {The occurrence of groundwater in Antarctica, particularly in the ice-free regions and along the coastal margins is poorly understood. Here we use an airborne transient electromagnetic (AEM) sensor to produce extensive imagery of resistivity beneath Taylor Valley. Regional-scale zones of low subsurface resistivity were detected that are inconsistent with the high resistivity of glacier ice or dry permafrost in this region. We interpret these results as an indication that liquid, with sufficiently high solute content, exists at temperatures well below freezing and considered within the range suitable for microbial life. These inferred brines are widespread within permafrost and extend below glaciers and lakes. One system emanates from below Taylor Glacier into Lake Bonney and a second system connects the ocean with the eastern 18 km of the valley. A connection between these two basins was not detected to the depth limitation of the AEM survey (~350 m).}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms7831}, url = {http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/ncomms7831}, author = {Jill A. Mikucki and Auken, E. and Tulaczyk, S and Ross A. Virginia and Schamper, C. and S{\o}rensen, K. I. and Peter T. Doran and Hilary A. Dugan and Foley, N.} } @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 {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} } @mastersthesis {4192, title = {The impacts of thermokarst activity on a stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2015}, month = {2015}, pages = {70}, school = {University of Colorado}, type = {masters}, address = {Boulder, CO}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica are a unique ice-free landscape that is host to vibrant ecosystems despite the harsh environment (\<10 cm water equivalent/yr, -20\°C mean air temperature). Aquatic ecosystems in the MDV are dependent on the ephemeral glacial runoff streams which feed the closed basin perennially ice covered lakes. The upland zones of the Dry Valleys have been shown to have some of the slowest ground surface change rates in the world. However, recent observations in the coastal valley transition zones suggest that this area may be nearing a threshold of rapid landscape change.

One of the recent observations that supports this idea is the discovery of extensive thermokarst degradation (permafrost thaw features) along the banks of Crescent Stream in Taylor Valley. In 2012, a large stretch of the West Branch of Crescent Stream was found to have significant thermokarst bank failures, while the adjacent East Branch was found to be unaffected. The thermokarst impacts within this setting are important to understand because of the disturbances that massive sediment loading can impose on downstream biological communities.

Annually repeated terrestrial LiDAR scans (3) were compared to determine the rates of ground surface change due to thermokarst degradation. It was found that the areal extent of the thermokarst was decreasing, however the average linear rates of retreat remained constant. Field measurements including, pebble counts, fine sediment counts, and sieve samples were analyzed to determine the effects of the thermokarst on the stream bed material. It was found that the West Branch and the reach downstream of the confluence were consistently finer than the unaffected East Branch. This suggests that the finer bed material is due to the thermokarst bank degradation. Stream power was calculated for multiple reaches to be used as a metric for the mobilization of the streambed material. It was found that both branches infrequently experience flows substantial enough to mobilize the bed material. Even the finer bed material of the impacted West Branch reach required flows that had a 5 \% chance of exceedance for mobilization of the bed. These findings suggest the West Branch of Crescent Stream and the biota supported by this branch of the stream, continue to adjust to the sediment introduced from the thermokarst bank degradation.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, Dry valleys, earth sciences, stream, thermokarst}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/docview/1717582573}, author = {Sudman, Zachary and Michael N. Gooseff} } @article {3720, title = {Linking management to biodiversity in built ponds using metacommunity simulations}, journal = {Ecological Modelling}, volume = {296}, year = {2015}, month = {01/2015}, pages = {36 - 45}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {03043800}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2014.10.022}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0304380014004918}, author = {Eric R. Sokol and Brown, Bryan L. and Carey, Cayelan C. and Tornwall, Brett M. and Swan, Christopher M. and John E. Barrett} } @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 {3716, title = {Mitochondrial DNA analyses reveal widespread tardigrade diversity in Antarctica}, journal = {Invertebrate Systematics}, volume = {29}, year = {2015}, month = {12/2015}, pages = {578}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {1445-5226}, doi = {10.1071/IS14019}, url = {http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=IS14019}, author = {Velasco-Castrillon, Alejandro and McInnes, Sandra J. and Schultz, Mark B. and Arroniz-Crespo, Maria and D{\textquoteright}Haese, Cyrille A. and Gibson, John A. E. and Byron Adams and Page, Timothy J. and Austin, Andrew D. and Cooper, Steven J. B. and Stevens, Mark I.} } @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} } @article {3205, title = {Patterns and processes of salt efflorescences in the McMurdo region, Antarctica}, journal = {Artic, Antarctic and Alpine Research}, year = {2015}, abstract = {

Evaporite salts are abundant around the McMurdo region, Antarctica (~78\°S) due to very low precipitation, low relative humidity, and limited overland flow. Hygroscopic salts in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) are preferentially formed in locations where liquid water is present in the austral summer, including along ephemeral streams, ice-covered lake boundaries, or shallow groundwater tracks. In this study, we collected salts from the Miers, Garwood, and Taylor Valleys on the Antarctic continent, as well as around McMurdo Station on Ross Island in close proximity to water sources with the goal of understanding salt geochemistry in relationship to the hydrology of the area. Halite is ubiquitous; sodium is the major cation (ranging from 70\%\–90\% of cations by meq kg\−1\ sediment) and chloride is the major anion (\>50\%) in nearly all samples. However, a wide variety of salt phases and morphologies are tentatively identified through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) work. We present new data that identifies trona (Na3(CO3)(HCO3)\·2H2O), tentative gaylussite (Na2Ca(CO3)2\·5H2O), and tentative glauberite (Na2Ca(SO4)2) in the MDV, of which the later one has not been documented previously. Our work allows for the evaluation of processes that influence brine evolution on a local scale, consequently informing assumptions underlying large-scale processes (such as paleoclimate) in the MDV. Hydrological modeling conducted in FREZCHEM and PHREEQC suggests that a model based on aerosol deposition alone in low elevations on the valley floor inadequately characterizes salt distributions found on the surfaces of the soil because it does not account for other hydrologic inputs/outputs. Implications for the salt distributions include their use as tracers for paleolake levels, geochemical tracers of ephemeral water tracks or \“wet patches\” in the soil, indicators of chemical weathering products, and potential delineators of ecological communities.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://aaarjournal.org/doi/abs/10.1657/AAAR0014-024}, author = {Bisson, K. M. and Kathleen A. Welch and Sue Welch and Sheets, J. M. and W. Berry Lyons and Joseph S. Levy and Andrew G Fountain} } @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 {3532, title = {Soil biodiversity and human health}, journal = {Nature}, year = {2015}, month = {11/2015}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0028-0836}, doi = {10.1038/nature15744}, url = {http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/nature15744}, author = {Diana H. Wall and Uffe N. Nielsen and Six, Johan} } @inbook {3221, title = {Antarctic Terrestrial Microbiology : Invertebrates}, year = {2014}, pages = {55 - 78}, publisher = {Springer Berlin Heidelberg}, organization = {Springer Berlin Heidelberg}, address = {Berlin, Heidelberg}, abstract = {

Terrestrial invertebrates are the largest permanent residents for much of the Antarctic continent with body lengths \< 2 mm for most. The fauna consists of the arthropod taxa Collembola (springtails) and Acari (mites) as well as the microinvertebrates Nematoda, Tardigrada and Rotifera. Diversity in continental Antarctica is lower compared with warmer regions such as the Antarctic Peninsula and the subantarctic islands and several taxa such as the arthropods have considerably restricted distributions. The highest diversity of invertebrates is found along the Transantarctic Mountains of the Ross Sea Region and taxa are likely to be relicts from a warmer past that have survived in glacial refugia. Dispersal among the extremely fragmented Antarctic landscape is likely to be limited to transport via fresh- or salt-waters, particularly for the arthropod taxa, although long-distance wind dispersal is also possible for the microinvertebrates. Invertebrates possess several adaptations to low moisture levels and extreme cold temperatures in Antarctica. For example, nematodes and tardigrades avoid extreme dry and cold temperatures by entering a desiccation-resistant anhydrobiotic state. In contrast, arthropods do not have such a resistant state and freezing is lethal. Adaptations for the arthropod taxa include freeze avoidance and the production of intracellular, antifreeze proteins. Climate changes in Antarctica are likely to pose significant challenges for the invertebrate fauna. Changes in temperature, soil moisture and associated shifts in taxon distributions as well as the potential for non-indigenous species introductions are all likely to have considerable impacts on the Antarctic fauna. From a conservation perspective, there is a pressing need for terrestrial observation networks to record the present state of Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems as well as to monitor impending changes. Biosecurity measures which minimize species introductions or transfers of organisms within Antarctica will be essential.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, isbn = {978-3-642-45212-3}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-45213-0_4}, url = {http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-642-45213-0_4}, author = {Hogg, Ian D. and Stevens, Mark I. and Diana H. Wall}, editor = {Cowan, Don A.} } @article {1055, title = {Characterization of Growing Bacterial Populations in McMurdo Dry Valley Soils through Stable Isotope Probing with 18O-water.}, journal = {FEMS Microbiology Ecology.}, volume = {89}, year = {2014}, month = {08/2014}, pages = {415-425}, chapter = {415}, abstract = {Soil microbial communities of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica (MDV) contain representatives from at least fourteen bacterial phyla. However, given low rates of microbial activity, it is unclear whether this richness represents functioning rather than dormant members of the community. We used stable isotope probing (SIP) with (18) O-water to determine if microbial populations grow in MDV soils. Changes in the microbial community were characterized in soils amended with H2 (18) O and H2 (18) O-organic matter. Sequencing the 16S rRNA genes of the heavy and light fractions of the bacterial community DNA shows that DNA of microbial populations was labeled with (18) O-water, indicating these micro-organisms grew in the MDV soils. Significant differences existed in the community composition of the heavy and light fractions of the H2 (18) O and H2 (18) O-organic matter amended samples (Anosim P < 0.05 of weighted Unifrac distance). Control samples and the light DNA fraction of the H2 (18) O amended samples were dominated by representatives of the phyla Deinococcus-Thermus, Proteobacteria, Planctomyces, Gemmatimonadetes, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria, whereas Proteobacteria were more prevalent in the heavy DNA fractions from the H2 (18) O-water and the H2 (18) O-water-organic matter treatments. Our results indicate that SIP with H2 (18) O can be used to distinguish active bacterial populations even in this low organic matter environment.}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/1574-6941.12349}, author = {Schwartz, E. and David J. Van Horn and Heather N. Buelow and Michael N. Gooseff and John E. Barrett and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Okie, J.G.} } @article {1067, title = {Diel flow pulses drive particulate organic matter transport from microbial mats in a glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys}, journal = {Water Resources Research}, volume = {50}, year = {2014}, month = {01/2014}, pages = {86-97}, chapter = {86}, abstract = { Many glacial meltwater streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica contain abundant microbial mats, representing hot spots of primary production in a barren landscape. These mats persist through the winter in a freeze-dried state and grow in the summer, experiencing a dynamic hydrologic regime as streamflow varies on a diel cycle and with weather conditions. During diel peaks in flow these streams transport particulate organic matter (POM) to the downstream closed-basin lakes. We investigated the spatial and temporal dynamics of POM transport derived from the scouring of microbial mats in Von Guerard Stream of the MDV. The results show clockwise hysteresis effects in POM concentration over diel flood pulses and suggests that POM transport in the MDVs is supply limited. Further studies are required to confirm this and to identify the potential contributing sources of POM. The hysteresis effect was modeled using an approach derived from models of sediment transport in streams. Spatial variations in POM transport indicate that patch-scale variations in bed shear stress and benthic biomass also influence transport which is integrated downstream over several 100{\textquoteright}s of meters. Large variations in the POM transport dynamics between different diel flood pulses were found to be related to the time since a resetting flood event and the regrowth of potentially mobile benthic biomass, providing further evidence of the importance of supply limitation and flow variability in controlling the organic matter flux of stream ecosystems.}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/2013WR014061}, author = {Cullis, James D.S. and Lee F. Stanish and Diane M. McKnight} } @mastersthesis {4094, title = {Ecology and biogeography of freshwater diatoms in ponds of McMurdo Dry Valleys and parts of the Ross Island}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2014}, school = {University of Colorado}, type = {masters}, address = {Boulder, CO}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) and the exposed coastal areas of the nearby Ross Island in Antarctica represent some of the coldest, driest places in the world. However, during the austral summer warmer temperatures and constant sunlight allow microbial life to flourish nearly anywhere there is water. Diatoms are single-celled algae encapsulated in a silica shell and diatom communities constitute an important component of the microbial mats that grow in the streams, lakes and ponds in these regions. As part of the Long Term Ecological Research station in the McMurdo Dry Valleys diatom communities have been studied extensively in the streams over the last 20 years. Although the diatoms present in pond microbial mats at Cape Royds have been previously studied, modern-day knowledge of the characteristics of diatom communities in ponds and small lakes throughout the region is limited. This work sought to find the relationships between water chemistry and diatom community structure in ponds. Because water flow is not a factor in ponds and small lakes, influences of salinity, nutrients, pH and other factors can be more easily distinguished. This study looked at 24 separate bodies of water in the Taylor Valley, Labyrinth region in Wright Valley, Cape Royds and McMurdo Station area on Ross Island. The results suggest that geography, dispersal and historical environmental conditions play a significant role in structuring diatom communities, in addition to water chemistry. The results also expand the knowledge of habitat preferences for some of the species present in this region.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, biological sciences, freshwater diatoms, health and environmental sciences, McMurdo Dry Valleys, ponds}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/docview/1655818365?accountid=14503}, author = {Sakaeva, A.}, editor = {Diane M. McKnight} } @article {3220, title = {Soil animal responses to moisture availability are largely scale, not ecosystem dependent: insight from a cross-site study}, journal = {Global Change Biology}, volume = {20}, year = {2014}, month = {08/2014}, pages = {2631 - 2643}, chapter = {2631}, abstract = {

Climate change will result in reduced soil water availability in much of the world either due to changes in precipitation or increased temperature and evapotranspiration. How communities of mites and nematodes may respond to changes in moisture availability is not well known, yet these organisms play important roles in decomposition and nutrient cycling processes. We determined how communities of these organisms respond to changes in moisture availability and whether common patterns occur along fine-scale gradients of soil moisture within four individual ecosystem types (mesic, xeric and arid grasslands and a polar desert) located in the western United States and Antarctica, as well as across a cross-ecosystem moisture gradient (CEMG) of all four ecosystems considered together. An elevation transect of three sampling plots was monitored within each ecosystem and soil samples were collected from these plots and from existing experimental precipitation manipulations within each ecosystem once in fall of 2009 and three times each in 2010 and 2011. Mites and nematodes were sorted to trophic groups and analyzed to determine community responses to changes in soil moisture availability. We found that while both mites and nematodes increased with available soil moisture across the CEMG, within individual ecosystems, increases in soil moisture resulted in decreases to nematode communities at all but the arid grassland ecosystem; mites showed no responses at any ecosystem. In addition, we found changes in proportional abundances of mite and nematode trophic groups as soil moisture increased within individual ecosystems, which may result in shifts within soil food webs with important consequences for ecosystem functioning. We suggest that communities of soil animals at local scales may respond predictably to changes in moisture availability regardless of ecosystem type but that additional factors, such as climate variability, vegetation composition, and soil properties may influence this relationship over larger scales.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/gcb.2014.20.issue-810.1111/gcb.12522}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/gcb.2014.20.issue-8http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/gcb.12522}, author = {Sylvain, Zachary A. and Diana H. Wall and Cherwin, Karie L. and Debra P. C. Peters and Reichmann, Lara G. and Osvaldo E. Sala} } @article {3219, title = {The spatial structure of Antarctic biodiversity}, journal = {Ecological Monographs}, volume = {84}, year = {2014}, month = {05/2014}, pages = {203 - 244}, abstract = {

Patterns of environmental spatial structure lie at the heart of the most fundamental and familiar patterns of diversity on Earth. Antarctica contains some of the strongest environmental gradients on the planet and therefore provides an ideal study ground to test hypotheses on the relevance of environmental variability for biodiversity. To answer the pivotal question, \“How does spatial variation in physical and biological environmental properties across the Antarctic drive biodiversity?\” we have synthesized current knowledge on environmental variability across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine Antarctic biomes and related this to the observed biotic patterns. The most important physical driver of Antarctic terrestrial communities is the availability of liquid water, itself driven by solar irradiance intensity. Patterns of biota distribution are further strongly influenced by the historical development of any given location or region, and by geographical barriers. In freshwater ecosystems, free water is also crucial, with further important influences from salinity, nutrient availability, oxygenation, and characteristics of ice cover and extent. In the marine biome there does not appear to be one major driving force, with the exception of the oceanographic boundary of the Polar Front. At smaller spatial scales, ice cover, ice scour, and salinity gradients are clearly important determinants of diversity at habitat and community level. Stochastic and extreme events remain an important driving force in all environments, particularly in the context of local extinction and colonization or recolonization, as well as that of temporal environmental variability. Our synthesis demonstrates that the Antarctic continent and surrounding oceans provide an ideal study ground to develop new biogeographical models, including life history and physiological traits, and to address questions regarding biological responses to environmental variability and change.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0012-9615}, doi = {10.1890/12-2216.1}, url = {http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/12-2216.1}, author = {Peter Convey and Steven L. Chown and Clarke, Andrew and Barnes, David K. A. and Bokhorst, Stef and Vonda Cummings and Hugh W. Ducklow and Francesco Frati and Green, T. G. Allan and Shulamit Gordon and Griffiths, Huw J. and Clive Howard-Williams and Huiskes, Ad H. L. and Johanna Laybourn-Parry and W. Berry Lyons and McMinn, Andrew and Morley, Simon A. and Lloyd S. Peck and Quesada, Antonio and Robinson, Sharon A. and Schiaparelli, Stefano and Diana H. Wall} } @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 {3217, title = {Antarctic Thresholds - Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation (AnT-ERA), a new SCAR-biology programme}, journal = {Polarforschung}, volume = {82}, year = {2013}, month = {10/2013}, pages = {147-150.}, chapter = {147}, abstract = {

Stresses on Antarctic ecosystems result from environmental change, including extreme events, and from (other) human impacts. Consequently, Antarctic habitats are changing, some at a rapid pace while others are relatively stable. A cascade of responses from molecular through organismic to the community level are expected. The differences in biological complexity and evolutionary histories between both polar regions and the rest of the planet suggest that stresses on polar ecosystem function may have fundamentally different outcomes from those at lower latitudes. Polar ecosystem processes are therefore key to informing wider ecological debate about the nature of stability and potential changes across the biosphere. The main goal of AnT-ERA is to facilitate the science required to examine changes in biological processes in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic marine-, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. Tolerance limits, as well as thresholds, resistance and resilience to environmental change will be determined. AnT-ERA is classified into three overlapping themes, which represent three levels of biological organisation: (1) molecular and physiological performance, (2) population processes and species traits, (3) ecosystem function and services.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://epic.awi.de/34238/1/Polarforschung_82-2_147-150.pdf}, author = {Gutt, J. and Byron Adams and T Bracegirdle and Cowan, D. and Vonda Cummings and di Prisco, G. and Gradinger, R. and Isla, E. and McIntyre, T. and Murphy, E and Lloyd S. Peck and I.R. Schloss and Smith, C. and Suckling, C. C. and Takahashi, A. and Diana H. Wall and J.C. Xavier} } @article {1079, title = {Environmental factors influencing diatom communities in Antarctic cryoconite holes}, journal = {Environmental Research Letters}, volume = {8}, year = {2013}, month = {12/2013}, pages = {045006}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/8/4/045006}, url = {http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/4/045006/pdf/1748-9326_8_4_045006.pdf}, author = {Lee F. Stanish and Bagshaw, Elizabeth and Diane M. McKnight and Andrew G Fountain and Martyn Tranter} } @article {1083, title = {Local and regional influences over soil microbial metacommunities in the Transantarctic Mountains}, journal = {Ecosphere}, volume = {4}, year = {2013}, month = {11/2013}, pages = {art136}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1890/ES13-00136.1}, author = {Eric R. Sokol and Herbold, Craig W. and Charles K. Lee and Craig S Cary and John E. Barrett} } @article {1088, title = {Microbial growth under humic-free conditions in a supraglacial stream system on the Cotton Glacier, Antarctica}, journal = {Environmental Research Letters}, volume = {8}, year = {2013}, month = {09/2013}, pages = {035022}, abstract = {During the austral summers of 2004 and 2009, we sampled a supraglacial stream on the Cotton Glacier, Antarctica. The stream dissolved organic matter (DOM) was low (44{\textendash}48 μM C) and lacked detectable humic fluorescence signatures. Analysis of the excitation emissions matrices (EEMs) indicated that amino-acid fluorophores dominated, consistent with DOM of microbial origin, with little humic-like fluorescence. In most aquatic ecosystems, humic DOM attenuates harmful UV radiation and its absence may represent an additional stressor influencing the microbial community. Nonetheless, the stream contained an active microbial assemblage with bacterial cell abundances from 2.94 {\texttimes} 104 to 4.97 {\texttimes} 105 cells ml-1, and bacterial production ranging from 58.8 to 293.2 ng C l-1 d-1. Chlorophyll-a concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 0.53 μg l-1 indicating that algal phototrophs were the probable source of the DOM. Microbial isolates produced a rainbow of pigment colors, suggesting adaptation to stress, and were similar to those from other cryogenic systems (Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes lineages). Supraglacial streams provide an example of contemporary microbial processes on the glacier surface and a natural laboratory for studying microbial adaptation to the absence of humics.}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/035022}, url = {http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/3/035022}, author = {Christine M. Foreman and Rose M. Cory and Morris, Cindy E and Michael D. SanClements and Smith, Heidi J and John T. Lisle and Penney L. Miller and Yu-Ping Chin and Diane M. McKnight} } @mastersthesis {4093, title = {Resource Legacies and Priming Regulate Microbial Communities in Antarctica{\textquoteright}s Dry Valleys}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2013}, school = {Brigham Young University}, type = {masters}, address = {Provo, UT}, abstract = {

Multiple mechanisms control bacterial community structure but two in particular, the \"legacy\" of past environmental conditions, and the \"priming\" of bacteria to respond to seasonal or reoccurring fluctuations in resources, have the potential to determine both bacterial communities, as well as, temporal shifts in active bacterial taxa. To begin to evaluate the legacy effects of resources on microbial communities, we added four limiting resources annually (i.e., water only; C-mannitol + water; N-NH4NO3 + water; and C, N + water) and measured shifts in bacterial community composition after seven years in a cold desert ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Further, to investigate the ecological significance of priming, we conducted a series of stable isotope probing experiments (i.e., 18O-DNA SIP with 18O-labeled water, 13C-DNA SIP with 13C-labeled mannitol, 15N-DNA with 15N- NH4NO3, and a combined C and N SIP) and characterized the responding (i.e., isotopically labeled) and seed bank (i.e., unlabeled) bacterial communities. We performed each of the SIPs in soil microcosms corresponding to a single resource manipulation (e.g., 13C-labeled mannitol in C addition soils). We hypothesized that all long-term additions of nutrients and water will lead to a distinct bacterial community\—a legacy effect due to the nutrient and water impoverished state of Antarctica soils. We also hypothesized that the stronger the legacy effects demonstrated by a specific community the more adapted or primed bacterial species will be to take advantage of the resource and respond. As hypothesized, resource additions created distinct bacterial legacy but to different degrees among the treatments. The extent of the resource legacy effects was greatest in the CN, intermediate in water and N, and lowest in C communities relative to the control communities, suggesting that C induced changes in communities were intensified by tandem N additions and that water alone created a more distinct legacy than water and C additions combined. Contrary to our hypothesis, the stronger the legacy effects, the less adapted or primed the community was to take advantage of resource additions. For example, the CN treatment that induced the greatest effect on bacterial communities had the lowest number of species (20.9\%) in common between the responding and seed bank communities. This inverse relationship may be due to only two species (i.e., Arthrobacter, Actinobacteria and Massilia, Betaproteobacteria) really being primed to take advantage of CN and these species constituting over 75\% of the seed bank community. Water, N, and C additions had similar levels of priming with 38.4\%, 41.4\%, and 36.3\% of the responding species being present in the seed bank community, respectively. But of these three treatments, only the priming with water resulted in a unique responding community, suggesting that water, a universal bacterial resource, was enough to prime bacteria. Furthermore, water generates the most diverse responding community of all the resources with stemming from all of the fourteen dominant phyla. We did find patterns of ecological coherence among the responders, especially in the major responders (i.e., responders that increased in relative recovery by at least ten-fold). These responders were predominantly found in only three phyla (i.e., Actinobacteria, Bacteriodetes, and Gammaproteobacteria) regardless of resource addition. Alternatively minor responders (i.e., responders that increased in relative recovery at least two-fold) were contained in fourteen different phyla with specific taxa stimulated by CN (i.e., Betaproteobacteria) and N and water (i.e., Deltaproteobacteria). Further, resource additions elicited responses from 37\% of bacterial species with species specializing on a specific resource (e.g., Chloroflexi) or being a generalist (e.g., Planctomycetes and Gammaproteobacteria). Our results offer the first direct links between legacy and priming effects on bacterial community composition and demonstrate that these mechanisms are not always complimentary leading to the formation of similar communities but may both be essential to maintain the high levels of bacterial diversity. Further, all resources produced elicited responders that were either specialists of generalists demonstrating that even bacteria in the extreme environment of Antarctica respond to pulses of resources.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, 454 pyrosequencing, Antarctica, bacteria, microbial ecology, soil, soil ecology, stable isotope probing, target metagenomics}, url = {http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd6229}, author = {Saurey, Sabrina D.}, editor = {Aanderud, Zachary T.} } @article {1101, title = {Aeolian flux of biotic and abiotic material in Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Geomorphology}, volume = {155-156}, year = {2012}, month = {6/2012}, pages = {102 - 111}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.12.009}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169555X11006222}, author = {Marie {\v S}aback{\'a} and John C. Priscu and Hassan J. Basagic and Andrew G Fountain and Diana H. Wall and Ross A. Virginia and Mark C. Greenwood} } @article {1105, title = {Antarctic Tardigrada: a first step in understanding molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) and biogeography of cryptic meiofauna}, journal = {Invertebrate Systematics}, volume = {26}, year = {2012}, month = {12/2012}, pages = {526}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1071/IS12034}, author = {Czechowski, Paul and Sands, Chester J. and Byron Adams and D{\textquoteright}Haese, Cyrille A. and John A. E. Gibson and McInnes, Sandra J. and Stevens, Mark I.} } @article {3534, title = {At Limits of Life: Multidisciplinary Insights Reveal Environmental Constraints on Biotic Diversity in Continental Antarctica}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {7}, year = {2012}, month = {Jul-09-2013}, pages = {e44578}, abstract = {

Multitrophic communities that maintain the functionality of the extreme Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems, while the simplest of any natural community, are still challenging our knowledge about the limits to life on earth. In this study, we describe and interpret the linkage between the diversity of different trophic level communities to the geological morphology and soil geochemistry in the remote Transantarctic Mountains (Darwin Mountains, 80\°S). We examined the distribution and diversity of biota (bacteria, cyanobacteria, lichens, algae, invertebrates) with respect to elevation, age of glacial drift sheets, and soil physicochemistry. Results showed an abiotic spatial gradient with respect to the diversity of the organisms across different trophic levels. More complex communities, in terms of trophic level diversity, were related to the weakly developed younger drifts (Hatherton and Britannia) with higher soil C/N ratio and lower total soluble salts content (thus lower conductivity). Our results indicate that an increase of ion concentration from younger to older drift regions drives a succession of complex to more simple communities, in terms of number of trophic levels and diversity within each group of organisms analysed. This study revealed that integrating diversity across multi-trophic levels of biotic communities with abiotic spatial heterogeneity and geological history is fundamental to understand environmental constraints influencing biological distribution in Antarctic soil ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0044578}, url = {http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0044578}, author = {Magalhaes, Catarina and Stevens, Mark I. and Craig S Cary and Ball, Becky and Storey, Bryan C. and Diana H. Wall and T{\"u}rk, Roman and Ruprecht, Ulrike}, editor = {de Bello, Francesco} } @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 {1109, title = {Cyanobacterial diversity across landscape units in a polar desert: Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {FEMS Microbiology Ecology}, volume = {82}, year = {2012}, month = {11/2012}, pages = {268 - 278}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01297.x}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01297.x/full}, author = {Alexander B. Michaud and Marie {\v S}aback{\'a} and John C. Priscu} } @article {1119, title = {The Disappearing Cryosphere: Impacts and Ecosystem Responses to Rapid Cryosphere Loss}, journal = {BioScience}, volume = {62}, year = {2012}, month = {04/2012}, pages = {405 - 415}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1525/bio.2012.62.4.11}, url = {http://bioscience.oxfordjournals.org/content/62/4/405.full}, author = {Andrew G Fountain and John L. Campbell and Edward A. G. Schuur and Sharon E. Stammerjohn and Mark W. Williams and Hugh W. Ducklow} } @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 {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 {1102, title = {Thawing permafrost alters nematode populations and soil habitat characteristics in an Antarctic polar desert ecosystem}, journal = {Pedobiologia}, volume = {55}, year = {2012}, month = {3/2012}, pages = {75 - 81}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1016/j.pedobi.2011.11.001}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031405611001156}, author = {Smith, T.E. and Diana H. Wall and Hogg, I and Byron Adams and Uffe N. Nielsen and Ross A. Virginia} } @phdthesis {4193, title = {Wind as an ecological factor in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2012}, month = {2012}, pages = {201}, school = {Montana State University}, type = {doctoral}, address = {Bozeman, MT}, abstract = {

The aim of this work was to investigate the role of wind on the ecology of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica (MDV), one of the coldest and driest deserts on Earth. The MDV landscape consists of a mosaic of permanently ice-covered lakes, ephemeral streams, exposed soils, and glaciers, all of which contain habitats dominated by microorganisms. Data on wind-driven flux of sediments and associated organic matter were collected using passive aeolian traps and dynamic mass erosion particle counters to investigate the timing, direction and magnitude of aeolian sediment transport. Combination of genomic techniques and phenotypical fingerprinting (pigment analysis) was used to examine microbial diversity over a wide variety of wind-eroded habitats across the MDV landscape to elucidate the role of wind dispersal on the contemporary distribution of microorganisms across the MDVs. Sediment entrainment occurs predominantly within 20 cm of the ground surface and has character of saltation bursts that occupy \<3\% of the total time within a year. The high-energy winter f{\"o}hn winds uplift sediments in the upper parts of the MDVs and transport them down-valley where they are deposited onto the surface of perennially ice-covered lakes and surrounding soils. The sediment that enters the water column of the lakes does not provide a significant source of organic carbon for bacterioplankton communities compared to the in situ production by phytoplankton but can be a source of new microbial propagules. The aeolian material is low in organic matter (\<1\% dw) but is composed of a relatively large numbers of cyanobacterial taxa (~20 OTUs) that can be found in all other MDV habitats. In conclusion, wind distributes microorganisms across the MDV landscape but local environment selects for specific taxa. Predicted climate warming will increase the importance of wind transport, which will affect nutrient cycling and connectivity among MDV ecosystem components.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/handle/1/2171}, author = {Marie {\v S}aback{\'a} and John C. Priscu} } @article {1130, title = {15N and 13C{14N} NMR investigation of the major nitrogen-containing segment in an aquatic fulvic acid: Evidence for a hydantoin derivative}, journal = {Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry}, volume = {49}, year = {2011}, month = {12/2011}, pages = {775 - 780}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1002/mrc.2816}, author = {Xiaowen Fang and Jingdong Mao and Rose M. Cory and Diane M. McKnight and Klaus Schmidt-Rohr} } @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} } @phdthesis {4095, title = {Ecological controls on stream diatom communities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2011}, school = {University of Colorado}, type = {doctoral}, address = {Boulder, CO}, abstract = {

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

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

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

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

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, biological sciences, community ecology, diatoms, earth sciences, McMurdo Dry Valleys, streams}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/docview/915694114?accountid=14503}, author = {Lee F. Stanish}, editor = {Diane M. McKnight} } @article {1131, title = {Hydrologic processes influence diatom community composition in Dry Valley streams}, journal = {Journal of the North American Benthological Society}, volume = {30}, year = {2011}, month = {12/2011}, pages = {1057-1073}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1899/11-008.1}, url = {http://www.jnabs.org/doi/abs/10.1899/11-008.1}, author = {Lee F. Stanish and Diana R. Nemergut and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {3538, title = {Microclimate impacts of passive warming methods in Antarctica: implications for climate change studies}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {34}, year = {2011}, month = {10/2011}, pages = {1421 - 1435}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0722-4060}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-011-0997-y}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00300-011-0997-y}, author = {Bokhorst, Stef and Huiskes, Ad and Peter Convey and Sinclair, Brent J. and Lebouvier, Marc and Bart Van de Vijver and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1148, title = {Abiotic nitrous oxide emission from the hypersaline Don Juan Pond in Antarctica}, journal = {Nature Geoscience}, volume = {3}, year = {2010}, month = {5/2010}, pages = {341 - 344}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/ngeo847}, url = {http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v3/n5/full/ngeo847.html}, author = {Samarkin, Vladimir A. and Madigan, Michael T. and Bowles, Marshall W. and Karen L. Casciotti and John C. Priscu and Christopher P. McKay and Joye, Samantha B.} } @article {1150, title = {Biogeochemical weathering under ice: Size matters}, journal = {Global Biogeochemical Cycles}, volume = {24}, year = {2010}, month = {2010}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1029/2009GB003688}, author = {Wadham, J. L. and Martyn Tranter and Skidmore, M and Hodson, A. J. and John C. Priscu and W. Berry Lyons and Sharp, M. and Wynn, P. and Margaret S. Jackson} } @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} } @inbook {1170, title = {Diatoms as indicators of environmental change in Antarctic and subantarctic freshwaters}, booktitle = {The Diatoms Applications for the Environmental and Earth Sciences}, year = {2010}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, organization = {Cambridge University Press}, edition = {2}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, isbn = {9780521509961}, url = {http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/life-sciences/plant-science/diatoms-applications-environmental-and-earth-sciences-2nd-edition}, author = {Sarah A. Spaulding and Bart Van de Vijver and Hodgson, D and Diane M. McKnight and Elie Verleyen and Lee F. Stanish} } @article {1147, title = {Experimentally increased snow accumulation alters soil moisture and animal community structure in a polar desert}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {33}, year = {2010}, month = {7/2010}, pages = {897 - 907}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-010-0766-3}, author = {Edward Ayres and Johnson N. Nkem and Diana H. Wall and Byron Adams and John E. Barrett and Breana L. Simmons and Ross A. Virginia and Andrew G Fountain} } @book {1173, title = {Life in Antarctic Deserts and Other Cold Environments}, series = {Astrobiological Analogs}, volume = {5}, year = {2010}, pages = {307}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press.}, organization = {Cambridge University Press.}, address = {Cambridge}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Planetary Science}, isbn = {9780511712258}, doi = {10.1017/CBO9780511712258}, url = {http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511712258}, author = {Peter T. Doran and W. Berry Lyons and Diane M. McKnight}, editor = {Diane M. McKnight and Michael N. Gooseff and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Jill A. Mikucki and Martyn Tranter and Sun, Henry J} } @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 {1184, title = {A Contemporary Microbially Maintained Subglacial Ferrous "Ocean"}, journal = {Science}, volume = {324}, year = {2009}, month = {04/2009}, pages = {397-400}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {

An active microbial assemblage cycles sulfur in a sulfate-rich, ancient marine brine beneath Taylor Glacier, an outlet glacier of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, with Fe(III) serving as the terminal electron acceptor. Isotopic measurements of sulfate, water, carbonate, and ferrous iron and functional gene analyses of adenosine 5\′-phosphosulfate reductase imply that a microbial consortium facilitates a catalytic sulfur cycle. These metabolic pathways result from a limited organic carbon supply because of the absence of contemporary photosynthesis, yielding a subglacial ferrous brine that is anoxic but not sulfidic. Coupled biogeochemical processes below the glacier enable subglacial microbes to grow in extended isolation, demonstrating how analogous organic-starved systems, such as Neoproterozoic oceans, accumulated Fe(II) despite the presence of an active sulfur cycle.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1126/science.1167350}, url = {http://www.sciencemag.org/content/324/5925/397.short}, author = {Jill A. Mikucki and Pearson, A and Johnston, D and Turchyn, A and Farquhar, J and Schrag, D and Anbar, A and John C. Priscu and Lee, P} } @article {1180, title = {Environmental DNA sequencing primers for eutardigrades and bdelloid rotifers}, journal = {BMC Ecology}, volume = {9}, year = {2009}, month = {11/2009}, pages = {25}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1186/1472-6785-9-25}, author = {Robeson, Michael S and Costello, Elizabeth K and Freeman, Kristen R and Whiting, Jeremy and Byron Adams and Martin, Andrew P and Schmidt, Steve K} } @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 {1189, title = {Landscape Distribution of Microbial Activity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys: Linked Biotic Processes, Hydrology, and Geochemistry in a Cold Desert Ecosystem}, journal = {Ecosystems}, volume = {12}, year = {2009}, pages = {562-573}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Lydia H. Zeglin and Sinsabaugh, R and John E. Barrett and Michael N. Gooseff and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach} } @article {1190, title = {Long-term experimental warming reduces soil nematode populations in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Soil Biology \& Biochemistry}, volume = {41}, year = {2009}, pages = {2052-2060}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1016/j.soilbio.2009.07.009}, author = {Breana L. Simmons and Diana H. Wall and Byron Adams and Edward Ayres and John E. Barrett and Ross A. Virginia} } @article {1198, title = {Managing for ocean biodiversity to sustain marine ecosystem services}, journal = {FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT}, volume = {7}, year = {2009}, pages = {204-211}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Palumbi, S and Norse, E and Stachowicz, J and Diana H. Wall and Sandifer, P and Allan, J and Beck, M and Fautin, D and Fogerty, M and Halpern, B and Incze, L and Leong, J} } @article {1194, title = {State of the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean climate system,}, journal = {Review of Geophysics}, volume = {47}, year = {2009}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Paul A. Mayewski and David Bromwich and Campbell, H and Hamilton, G and W. Berry Lyons and Maasch, K and Aoki, S and Xiao, C and van Ommen, T and Meredith, M and Summerhayes, C and Turner, J and Worby, A and John E. Barrett and Casassa, G and Bertler, N and T Bracegirdle} } @article {1195, title = {Terrestrial mesofauna in above- and below-ground habitats: Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {32}, year = {2009}, pages = {1549-1558}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Breana L. Simmons and Diana H. Wall and Byron Adams and Edward Ayres and John E. Barrett and Ross A. Virginia} } @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} } @inbook {1207, title = {Bacteria in Subglacial Environments}, booktitle = {Psychrophiles: from biodiversity to biotechnology}, year = {2008}, pages = {51-71}, publisher = {Springer Verlag}, organization = {Springer Verlag}, address = {New York}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Brent C. Christner and Skidmore, M and John C. Priscu and Martyn Tranter and Christine M. Foreman} } @article {1208, title = {Bacteriophage in polar inland waters}, journal = {Extremophiles}, volume = {12}, year = {2008}, pages = {167-175}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, url = {/reports/lakes/SawstromEtAl2008Bacteriophage.pdf}, author = {Sawstrom, C and John T. Lisle and Alexandre M. Anesio and John C. Priscu and Johanna Laybourn-Parry} } @mastersthesis {1229, title = {A comparison of anhydrobiosis in nematodes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica and Short Grass Steppe, Colorado}, year = {2008}, school = {Colorado School of Mines,}, type = {masters}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Seaver, K} } @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} } @inbook {1213, title = {Glacial ecosystems}, booktitle = {Ecological Monographs}, volume = {78}, year = {2008}, pages = {41-67}, edition = {1}, abstract = {
There is now compelling evidence that microbially mediated reactions impart a significant effect upon the dynamics, composition, and abundance of nutrients in glacial melt water. Consequently, we must now consider ice masses as ecosystem habitats in their own right and address their diversity, functional potential, and activity as part of alpine and polar environments. Although such research is already underway, its fragmentary nature provides little basis for developing modern concepts of glacier ecology. This paper therefore provides a much-needed framework for development by reviewing the physical, biogeochemical, and microbiological characteristics of microbial habitats that have been identified within glaciers and ice sheets. Two key glacial ecosystems emerge, one inhabiting the glacier surface (the supraglacial ecosystem) and one at the ice-bed interface (the subglacial ecosystem). The supraglacial ecosystem is characterized by a diverse consortium of microbes (usually bacteria, algae, phytoflagellates, fungi, viruses and occasional rotifers, tardigrades, and diatoms) within the snowpack, supraglacial streams, and melt pools (cryoconite holes). The subglacial system is dominated by aerobic/anaerobic bacteria and most probably viruses in basal ice/till mixtures and subglacial lakes. A third, so-called englacial ecosystem is also described, but it is demonstrated that conditions within glacier ice are sufficient to make metabolic activity and its impact upon nutrient dynamics negligible at the glacier scale.
Consideration of the surface and internal heat balances of the glacier show that all glacial ecosystems are sensitive to climate change, although at different timescales. Thus, while rapid, melt-driven habitat changes lead to melt-out, resuscitation, and redistribution of microorganisms in many supraglacial ecosystems, much slower climatic and glacial mass-balance processes effect such changes in the subglacial ecosystem. Paradoxically, it is shown that these forces have brought about net refreezing and the onset of cryostasis in the subglacial ecosystems of many Arctic glaciers subject to thinning in recent decades.
}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie, snow ecology}, doi = {10.1890/07-0187.1}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/07-0187.1}, author = {Hodson, A and Alexandre M. Anesio and Martyn Tranter and Andrew G Fountain and Osborn, M and John C. Priscu and Johanna Laybourn-Parry and Sattler, B} } @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 {1232, title = {Microbial community composition in soils of Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica}, journal = {Environmental Microbiology}, volume = {10}, year = {2008}, pages = {1713-1724}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Niederberger, T and McDonald, i and Hacker, A and Soo, R and John E. Barrett and Diana H. Wall and Craig S Cary} } @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 {1245, title = {Metabolic activity and diversity of cryoconites in the Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research}, volume = {112}, year = {2007}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Christine M. Foreman and Sattler, B and Jill A. Mikucki and Porazinska, D and John C. Priscu} } @article {1259, title = {The aeolian flux of calcium, chloride and nitrate to the McMurdo Dry Valleys landscape: Evidence from snow pit analysis}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {18}, year = {2006}, pages = {497-505}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Witherow, R and Bertler, N and Kathleen A. Welch and W. Berry Lyons and Paul A. Mayewski and Sneed, S and Thomas H. Nylen and Handley, M and Andrew G Fountain} } @article {1256, title = {Antarctic Climate Cooling and Response of Diatoms in Glacial Meltwater Streams}, journal = {Geophysical Research Letters}, volume = {33}, year = {2006}, month = {04/2006}, pages = {L07406}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {

To understand biotic responses to an Antarctic cooling trend, we analyzed diatom samples from glacial meltwater streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the largest ice-free area in Antarctica. Diatoms are abundant in these streams, and 24 of 40 species have only been found in the Antarctic. The percentage of these Antarctic diatom species increased with decreasing annual stream flow and increasing harshness of the stream habitat. The species diversity of assemblages reached a maximum when the Antarctic species accounted for 40\–60\% of relative diatom abundance. Decreased solar radiation and air-temperatures reduce annual stream flow, raising the dominance of these Antarctic species to levels above 60\%. Thus, cooling favors the Antarctic species, and lowers diatom species diversity in this region.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1029/2006GL025903}, author = {Rhea M.M. Esposito and Horn, S and Diane M. McKnight and Cox, M and Grant, M and Sarah A. Spaulding and Peter T. Doran and Cozzetto, K} } @article {1263, title = {Biotic interactions in Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems: Are they a factor?}, journal = {Soil Biology and Biochemistry}, volume = {38}, year = {2006}, pages = {3035-3040}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1016/j.soilbio.2006.04.026}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038071706002173}, author = {Hogg, I and Diana H. Wall and Craig S Cary and Convey, K and Newsham, K and ODonnell, G and Byron Adams and Aislabie, J and Francesco Frati and Stevens, M} } @article {1265, title = {Diversity and distribution of Victoria Land biota}, journal = {Soil Biology and Biochemistry}, volume = {38}, year = {2006}, pages = {3003-3018}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1016/j.soilbio.2006.04.030}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038071706002215}, author = {Byron Adams and Connell, L and Peter Convey and Fell, J and Francesco Frati and Hogg, I and Newsham, K and O{\textquoteright}Donnell, A and Russell, N and Seppelt, R and Stevens, M and Richard D. Bardgett and Edward Ayres and Diana H. Wall and Aislabie, J and Bamforth, S and Bargagli, R and Craig S Cary and Cavacini, P} } @mastersthesis {1285, title = {Soil nitrogen cycling in cold desert (McMurdo Dry Valleys) and hot desert ecosystems}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2006}, school = {Dartmouth College}, type = {masters}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Stucker, A} } @article {1278, title = {Terrestrial ecosystem processes of Victoria Land, Antarctica}, journal = {Soil Biology and Biochemistry}, volume = {38}, year = {2006}, pages = {3019-3034}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {John E. Barrett and Johnson N. Nkem and Sletten, R and Steltzer, H and Diana H. Wall and Wallenstein, M and Ross A. Virginia and D. W. Hopkins and Aislabie, J and Bargagli, R and Bockheim, J and Campbell, I and W. Berry Lyons and Daryl L. Moorhead} } @article {1310, title = {Contributions of Benthic Microbial Mats to Net Primary Production in Lake Hoare, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {17}, year = {2005}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Daryl L. Moorhead and Schmeling, S and Ian Hawes} } @article {1294, title = {Dating water and solute additions to ice-covered Antarctic lakes}, journal = {Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta}, volume = {69}, year = {2005}, pages = {A720}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and Carolyn Dowling and Kathleen A. Welch and Snyder, G and Robert J. Poreda and Peter T. Doran and Andrew G Fountain} } @article {1300, title = {Halogen geochemistry of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Lakes, Antarctica: clues to the origin of solutes and lake evolution}, journal = {Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta}, volume = {69}, year = {2005}, pages = {305-323}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and Kathleen A. Welch and Snyder, G and Olesik, J and Graham, E and G. M. Marion and Robert J. Poreda} } @article {1305, title = {Perturbation of hydrochemical conditions in natural microcosms entombed within Antarctic ice}, journal = {Ice and Climate News}, volume = {6}, year = {2005}, pages = {22-23}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Martyn Tranter and Andrew G Fountain and Christian H. Fritsen and W. Berry Lyons and John C. Priscu and Stratham, P and Kathleen A. Welch} } @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 {1288, title = {Sensitivity analysis of conservative and reactive stream transient storage models applied to field data from multiple-reach experiments}, journal = {Advances in Water Resources}, volume = {28}, year = {2005}, month = {05/2005}, pages = {479-492}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1016/j.advwatres.2004.11.012}, author = {Michael N. Gooseff and Kenneth E. Bencala and Durelle T. Scott and Robert L. Runkel and Diane M. McKnight} } @inbook {1309, title = {Soils, freshwater and marine sediments: the need for integrative landscape science}, booktitle = {Marine Ecology Progress Series}, series = {Theme Section: Bridging the Gap between Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecology.}, volume = {304}, year = {2005}, pages = {302-307}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Diana H. Wall and Edward Ayres and Valerie Behan-Pelletier and Covich, A and P.V.R. Snelgrove}, editor = {H. Browman and K. I. Stergiou} } @inbook {1322, title = {Antarctic Paleolimnology}, booktitle = {Long-Term Environmental Change in Arctic and Antarctic Lakes}, year = {2004}, publisher = {Kluwer Academic Publishers}, organization = {Kluwer Academic Publishers}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Hodgson, D and John A. E. Gibson and Peter T. Doran}, editor = {Pienitz, R and Douglas, Marianne S. V. and J.P. Smol} } @article {1325, title = {Changes in fulvic acid redox state through the oxycline of a permanently ice-covered Antarctic lake}, journal = {Aquatic Sciences}, volume = {66}, year = {2004}, pages = {1-20}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Fulton, J and Diane M. McKnight and Christine M. Foreman and Rose M. Cory and Stedmon, C and Blunt, E} } @article {1349, title = {Detritus, trophic dynamics and biodiversity.}, journal = {Ecology Letters}, volume = {7}, year = {2004}, pages = {584-600}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Moore, J and Morin, P and Nadelhoffer, K and Rosemound, A and Post , D and Sabo, J and Scow, K and Michael J. Vanni and Diana H. Wall and Berlow, E and David C. Coleman and Peter C. De Ruiter and Dong, Q and Hasting, A and Johnson, N and McCann, K and Melville, K} } @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 {1331, title = {Extreme hydrochemical conditions in natural microcosms entombed within Antarctic ice.}, journal = {Hydrological Processes}, volume = {18}, year = {2004}, pages = {379-387}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Martyn Tranter and Andrew G Fountain and Christian H. Fritsen and W. Berry Lyons and John C. Priscu and Stathan, P and Kathleen A. Welch} } @inbook {1332, title = {Geochronology of high latitude lake sediments}, booktitle = {Long-Term Environmental Change in Arctic and Antarctic Lakes}, year = {2004}, publisher = {Kluwer Academic Publishers}, organization = {Kluwer Academic Publishers}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Wolf, A and Miller, G and Olsen, C and Forman, S and Peter T. Doran and Holmgren, S}, editor = {Pienitz, R and Douglas, Marianne S. V. and J.P. Smol} } @article {1333, title = {Geomicrobiology of Blood Fall: An iron-rich saline discharge at the terminus of the Taylor Glacier, Antarctica}, journal = {Aquatic Geochemistry}, volume = {10}, year = {2004}, pages = {199-200}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Jill A. Mikucki and Christine M. Foreman and Sattler, B and W. Berry Lyons and John C. Priscu} } @inbook {1337, title = {The need for understanding how biodiversity and ecosystem functioning affect ecosystem services in soil and sediments}, booktitle = {Sustaining Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Soils Sediments}, year = {2004}, publisher = {Island Press}, organization = {Island Press}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diana H. Wall and Richard D. Bardgett and Covich, A and P.V.R. Snelgrove}, editor = {Diana H. Wall} } @inbook {1339, title = {Paleolimnology of extreme cold terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments.}, booktitle = {Long-Term Environmental Change in Arctic and Antarctic Lakes}, year = {2004}, pages = {475-507}, publisher = {Kluwer Academic Publishers}, organization = {Kluwer Academic Publishers}, address = {Dordrecht, The Netherlands}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, isbn = {978-1-4020-2125-1}, author = {Peter T. Doran and John C. Priscu and W. Berry Lyons and Powell, R and Robert J. Poreda and Dale T. Andersen} } @inbook {1340, title = {Paleolimnology of Ice-covered Environments}, booktitle = {Long-term environmental change in Arctic and Antarctic lakes}, year = {2004}, pages = {475-507}, publisher = {Kluwer Academic Publishers}, organization = {Kluwer Academic Publishers}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Peter T. Doran and John C. Priscu and W. Berry Lyons and Powell, R and Robert J. Poreda}, editor = {Pienitz, R and Douglas, Marianne S. V. and John Smol} } @article {1356, title = {Trophic interactions in a changing world: modelling aboveground-belowground interactions}, journal = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, volume = {5}, year = {2004}, pages = {515-528}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Schroter, D and Brussaard, L and De Deyn, G and Proveda, K and Brown, V and Berg, M and Wardle, D and Moore, J and Diana H. Wall} } @inbook {1346, title = {Understanding the functions of biodiversity in soils and sediments will enhance global ecosystem sustainability and societal well-being}, booktitle = {Sustaining Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Soils Sediments}, year = {2004}, pages = {249-254}, publisher = {Island Press}, organization = {Island Press}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diana H. Wall and Richard D. Bardgett and Covich, A and P.V.R. Snelgrove}, editor = {Diana H. Wall} } @inbook {1359, title = {Century to millennial scale climate change and ecosystem response in Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, booktitle = {Climate Variability and Ecosystem Response at Long-Term Ecological Research Sites}, series = {Long-Term Ecological Research Network}, year = {2003}, pages = {319-340}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, organization = {Oxford University Press}, address = {New York City}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Climate Response}, isbn = {0195150597}, author = {Andrew G Fountain and W. Berry Lyons}, editor = {D. Greenland and D. G. Goodin and R. C. Smith} } @article {1370, title = {Long-term perspectives on biodiversity-ecosystem function.}, journal = {Bioscience}, year = {2003}, pages = {89-98}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Symstad, A and Chapin III, F and Diana H. Wall and Gross, K and Huenneke, L and Mittelbach, G and Debra P. C. Peters and Tilman, D} } @inbook {1380, title = {Extremophiles: ice ecosystems and biodiversity}, booktitle = {Knowledge for Sustainable Development: an Insight into the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems.}, year = {2002}, pages = {573-598}, publisher = {UNESCO Publishing-Eolss Publishers}, organization = {UNESCO Publishing-Eolss Publishers}, address = {Oxford}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Psenner, R and Felip, M and John C. Priscu and Wagenbach, D and Willie, A and Sattler, B} } @article {1410, title = {Absorption and utilization of low irradiance by cyanobacterial mats in two ice-covered Antarctic lakes}, journal = {Journal of Phycology}, volume = {37}, year = {2001}, pages = {5-15}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Ian Hawes and Schwartz, A-M} } @article {1412, title = {Benthic primary production in two perennially ice-covered Antarctic lakes: comparisons of annual accumulation predicted from photosynthesis models with estimates from internal growth markers}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {13}, year = {2001}, pages = {18-27}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Ian Hawes and Daryl L. Moorhead and Sutherland, J and Schmeling, J and Schwartz, A} } @article {1399, title = {Biodiversity in critical transition zones between terrestrial freshwater and marine soils and sediments: processes, linkages, and management implications.}, journal = {Ecosystems}, volume = {4}, year = {2001}, pages = {418-420}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diana H. Wall and M.A. Palmer and P.V.R. Snelgrove} } @article {1402, title = {The influence of soil biodiversity on hydrological pathways and the transfer of materials between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems}, journal = {Ecosystems}, volume = {4}, year = {2001}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Richard D. Bardgett and Anderson, J. M. and Valerie Behan-Pelletier and Brussaard, L and David C. Coleman and Ettma, C and Moldenke, A and Schimel, J and Diana H. Wall} } @mastersthesis {1413, title = {Sensitivity of carbon dynamics to changing light availability of benthic microbial mats in Lake Hoare, Antarctica}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2001}, school = {University of Toledo}, type = {masters}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Schmeling, J} } @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 {1426, title = {Climate and hydrologic variations and implications for lake and stream ecological response in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, booktitle = {Climate Variability and Ecosystem Response at Long Term Ecological Research Sites}, year = {2000}, pages = {174-195}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, organization = {Oxford University Press}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Kathleen A. Welch and W. Berry Lyons and Diane M. McKnight and Chris Jaros and Andrew G Fountain and Thomas H. Nylen and Peter T. Doran and Clive Howard-Williams}, editor = {D. Greenland and D. G. Goodin and R. C. Smith} } @inbook {1429, title = {Experimental Approaches to Investigate Belowground Animal Diversity}, booktitle = {Methods in Ecosystem Science}, year = {2000}, pages = {318-329}, publisher = {Springer Verlag}, organization = {Springer Verlag}, address = {New York}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diana W. Freckman and Reichman, O}, editor = {Osvaldo E. Sala and Jackson, R and Mooney, H and R. Howarth} } @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 {1431, title = {Global change effects on above and below ground biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems: interactions and implications for ecosystem functioning}, journal = {Bioscience}, volume = {50}, year = {2000}, pages = {1089-1099}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Wolters, V and Wardle, D and Brussaard, L and J. Mark Dangerfield and Brown, V and Giller, K and Hooper, D and Osvaldo E. Sala and Tiedje, J and van Veen, J and Silver, W and Bignell, D and David C. Coleman and Lavelle, P and van der Putten, W and DeRuiter, P and Josef Rusek and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1433, title = {Interactions between above and belowground biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems: patterns, mechanisms and feedbacks}, journal = {BioScience}, volume = {50}, year = {2000}, pages = {1049-1061}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Hooper, D and Lavelle, P and van der Putten, W and DeRuiter, P and Josef Rusek and Silver, W and Tiedje, J and Wolters, V and Bignell, D and Brown, V and Brussaard, L and J. Mark Dangerfield and Diana H. Wall and Wardle, D and David C. Coleman and Giller, K} } @inbook {1438, title = {Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning}, booktitle = {Biological Resource Management. Connecting Science and Policy}, year = {2000}, pages = {283-290}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Heidelberg}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diana H. Wall and J.M. Lynch}, editor = {E. Balazs and E. Galante and J.M. Lynch and J.S. Schepers} } @article {1450, title = {Carbon transformations in a perennially ice-covered Antarctic lake}, year = {1999}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {John C. Priscu and Craig F. Wolf and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Christian H. Fritsen and Johanna Laybourn-Parry and Emily C. Roberts and Birgit Sattl} } @article {1451, title = {Chlorine-36 in the waters of the McMurdo Dry Valley lakes, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica: revisited}, journal = {Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta}, volume = {62}, year = {1999}, pages = {185-191}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and Kathleen A. Welch and Pankaj Sharma} } @article {1448, title = {Dating quaternary lacustrine sediments in the McMurdo Dry Valleys Antarctica}, journal = {Palaeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology}, volume = {147}, year = {1999}, month = {03/1999}, pages = {223-239}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, sediments}, doi = {10.1016/S0031-0182(98)00159-X}, author = {Peter T. Doran and G. W. Berger and W. Berry Lyons and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and M. L. Davisson and J. Southon and J. E. Dibb} } @article {1464, title = {Lake ice microbial communities in alpine and Antarctic lakes}, year = {1999}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Psenner, R and Sattler, B and Willie, A and Christian H. Fritsen and John C. Priscu and Felip, M and J. Catalan} } @article {1466, title = {McMurdo LTER: Photosynthesis in an extreme shade habitat: benthic microbial mats from Lake Hoare, Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Phycology}, volume = {35}, year = {1999}, pages = {448-459}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Ian Hawes and Anne-Maree Schwarz} } @inbook {1472, title = {Soil invertebrates}, booktitle = {Standard Soil Methods for Long Term Ecological Research}, year = {1999}, pages = {349-377}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, organization = {Oxford University Press}, address = {New York}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {David C. Coleman and J.M. Blair and Elliot, E and Diana H. Wall} } @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 {1504, title = {Longitudinal Patterns in Algal Abundance and Species Distribution in Meltwater Streams in Taylor Valley, Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, in Ecosystem Processes in a Polar Desert: The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Research Series}, volume = {72}, year = {1998}, pages = {109-127}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diane M. McKnight and Alexander S. Alger and Cathy M. Tate and Gordon H Shupe and Sarah A. Spaulding} } @article {1507, title = {McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER: Density-driven mixing in Lake Hoare?}, journal = {Antarctic Journal of the United States - 1996 Review Issue (NSF 98-28)}, volume = {31}, year = {1998}, pages = {205}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and Kathleen A. Welch and Scott W. Tyler and Pankaj Sharma} } @article {1484, title = {McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER: Geophysical determination of bathymetry and morphology of Taylor Valley lakes}, journal = {Antarctic Journal of the United States - 1996 Review Issue (NSF 98-28)}, volume = {31}, year = {1998}, month = {01/1996}, pages = {198-200}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and Jeffrey P. Schmok} } @inbook {1520, title = {Optical Properties of the McMurdo Dry Valley Lakes, Antarctica}, booktitle = {Ecosystem Processes in a Polar Desert: The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, series = {Antarctic Research Series}, volume = {72}, year = {1998}, pages = {189-203}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Clive Howard-Williams and Anne-Maree Schwarz and Ian Hawes and John C. Priscu} } @article {1524, title = {Physical Limnology of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Lakes, in Ecosystem Processes in a Polar Desert: The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Research Series}, volume = {72}, year = {1998}, pages = {153-187}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Spigel, Robert H. and John C. Priscu} } @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} } @article {1553, title = {Diatoms in sediments of perennially ice-covered Lake Hoare, and implications for interpreting lake history in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Paleolimnology}, volume = {17}, year = {1997}, pages = {403-420}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Sarah A. Spaulding and Diane M. McKnight and E.F. Stoermer and Peter T. Doran} } @inbook {1554, title = {Ecological processes in a cold desert ecosystem: the abundance and species distribution of algal mats in glacial meltwater streams in Taylor Valley}, booktitle = {Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research}, series = {Occasional Paper}, volume = {51}, year = {1997}, pages = {108 pp}, publisher = {University of Colorado}, organization = {University of Colorado}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://instaar.colorado.edu/other/download/OP51-ECOLOGICAL-PROCESSES.pdf}, author = {Alexander S. Alger and Diane M. McKnight and Sarah A. Spaulding and Cathy M. Tate}, editor = {Gordon H Shupe and Kathleen A. Welch and R. L. Edwards and Edmund D. Andrews} } @article {1556, title = {Linking biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of soils and sediments}, journal = {Ambio}, volume = {26}, year = {1997}, pages = {556-562}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diana W. Freckman and T.H. Blackburn and Brussaard, L and P. Hutchings and M.A. Palmer and P.V.R. Snelgrove} } @article {1560, title = {The microbial plankton of Lake Fryxell, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica during the summers of 1992 and 1994}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {17}, year = {1997}, pages = {54-61}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Johanna Laybourn-Parry and Mark R. James and Diane M. McKnight and John C. Priscu and Sarah A. Spaulding and Russell Shiel} } @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} } @inbook {1563, title = {Sources and sinks of nutrients in a polar desert stream, the Onyx River, Antarctica}, booktitle = {Ecosystem Processes in Antarctic Ice-free Landscapes}, year = {1997}, pages = {155-170}, publisher = {Balkema Press}, organization = {Balkema Press}, address = {Rotterdam}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Clive Howard-Williams and Ian Hawes and Anne-Maree Schwarz and Julie A. Hall} } @phdthesis {1607, title = {Algal investigations at varying temporal scales in an extreme environment: McMurdo Dry Valley lakes, Antarctica}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {1996}, school = {Colorado State University}, type = {doctoral}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Spaulding, S.A. and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1571, title = {Evolution of Temperature and Salt Structure of Lake Bonney, a Chemically Stratified Antarctic Lake}, journal = {Hydrobiologia}, volume = {321}, year = {1996}, pages = {177-190}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Spigel, Robert H. and John C. Priscu} } @article {1575, title = {Lakes Hoare, Fryxell and Bonney: Geophysical Determination of Bathymetry and Morphometry, Report Generated by Golder Associates Ltd, Burnaby, British Columbia}, year = {1996}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Jeffrey P. Schmok and Brian S. Waddington} } @article {1578, title = {Phytoplankton Dynamics in the Stratified Water Column of Lake Bonney, Antarctica. I. Biomass and Productivity During the Winter-Spring Transition}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {16}, year = {1996}, pages = {155-162}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Michael P. Lizotte and Thomas R. Sharp and John C. Priscu} } @article {1591, title = {McMurdo LTER: Photosynthesis in benthic cyanobacterial mats from Lake Hoare, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Journal of the U.S.}, volume = {30}, year = {1995}, pages = {296-297}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Ian Hawes and Anne-Maree Schwarz} } @article {1594, title = {McMurdo LTER: Species composition and spatial distribution of algal mats in Green Creek, Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Journal of the U. S.}, volume = {30}, year = {1995}, pages = {289-291}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Alexander S. Alger and Sarah A. Spaulding and Gordon H Shupe and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {1604, title = {Some metamorphic processes in the lake ice of the McMurdo Dry Valleys}, journal = {Antarctic Journal of the U.S.}, volume = {30}, year = {1995}, pages = {307-309}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Edward E. Adams and John C. Priscu and Atsushi Sato} } @article {1611, title = {Aquatic fulvic acids in algal-rich antarctic ponds}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {39}, year = {1994}, month = {07/1994}, pages = {1972-1979}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, author = {Diane M. McKnight and Edmund D. Andrews and Sarah A. Spaulding and George R. Aiken} } @article {1618, title = {McMurdo LTER: Paleolimnology of Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Journal of the United States}, volume = {29}, year = {1994}, pages = {234-237}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and Sarah A. Spaulding and J. S. Foster} } @article {1627, title = {Phytoplankton population dynamics in perennially ice-covered Lake Fryxell, Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Plankton Research}, volume = {16}, year = {1994}, pages = {527-541}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Sarah A. Spaulding and Diane M. McKnight and Richard L. Smith and Richard Dufford} } @article {1634, title = {Environmental regulators of microbial activity in continental antarctic lakes, in Physical and Biogeochemical Processes in Antarctic Lakes}, journal = {Antarctic Research Series}, volume = {59}, year = {1993}, pages = {165-195}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Simmons, George M. and J. Robie Vestal and Robert A. Wharton Jr.} } @article {1640, title = {Microbial respiration potential in Lake Bonney using a novel tetrazolium-reduction method}, journal = {Antarctic Journal of the U.S.}, volume = {28}, year = {1993}, pages = {244-245}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Smith, James J. and John C. Priscu} } @inbook {1646, title = {Terrigenous clastic sedimentation in antarctic dry valley lakes}, booktitle = {Physical and Biogeochemical Processes in Antarctic Lakes}, series = {Antarctic Research Series}, volume = {59}, year = {1993}, pages = {71-81}, publisher = {Wiley}, organization = {Wiley}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, isbn = {9780875908304}, doi = {10.1029/AR059p0071}, author = {David W. Andersen and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and Steven W. Squyres} } @article {1658, title = {Temperature Dependence of Inorganic Nitrogen Uptake and Assimilation in Antarctic Sea-Ice Microalgae}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {9}, year = {1989}, pages = {443-446}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {John C. Priscu and Anna C. Palmisano and Linda R. Priscu and Cornelius W. Sullivan} }