@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 {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 {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} }