@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 = {<p>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 km<sup>2</sup>. 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.</p>},
	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 {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 = {<p>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.</p>},
	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}
}
