@article {5016,
	title = {Inference from eDNA-based field distributions vs laboratory analysis of isolated strains: Physiological performance of non-marine Antarctic biota},
	journal = {Polar Biology},
	volume = {48},
	year = {2025},
	month = {03/2025},
	pages = {36},
	abstract = {<p>Environmental DNA (eDNA) is frequently used to infer distributions of microorganisms in Antarctica. Their distributions relative to environmental variables are, in turn, sometimes used to infer their physiological range (and a relationship between the two is generally assumed for conservation purposes). We sought to determine whether ecological inferences based on distributions accurately reflect tolerances of the organisms concerned, using 249 legacy non-marine samples from a latitudinal gradient between 72 and 86\&deg;S, Antarctica. A cyanobacterium, a heterotrophic bacterium, two eukaryotic algae, two fungi, and a moss were isolated into culture, and their field distributions inferred using eDNA analysis of the samples above. Tolerances of each organism with respect to environmental predictors were then inferred from the eDNA distribution and metadata using Generalised Additive Models. We then measured growth of the cultured isolates in response to a set of these predictors. Laboratory responses were then compared to inferences from the eDNA/metadata. Predictions from eDNA/metadata agreed with the results of physiological laboratory experiments for strains that were detected at high taxonomic resolution in the field samples. However, errors were never completely eliminated, and direct contradictions occurred when strains were represented at lower taxonomic resolution in the field data. We found that accurate ecological inference from eDNA studies would be best achieved via maximising both taxonomic resolution (through marker choice/read length) and ecological signal (through careful sampling design and rigorous metadata collection).</p>},
	keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctic, distribution, eDNA, inference, microbial biodiversity, physiology},
	issn = {0722-4060},
	doi = {10.1007/s00300-025-03356-y},
	url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-025-03356-y},
	author = {Novis, Phil M. and Monks, Adrian and Hunt, John E. and Adams, Byron J. and Dhami, Manpreet K. and Kim, Ji Hee and Mitchell, Caroline and Morgan, Fraser and Ian Hawes and Aislabie, J and P. Broady}
}
@article {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 = {<p>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.</p>},
	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}
}
@inbook {1215,
	title = {Ice-based freshwater ecosystems},
	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},
	doi = {LTER},
	author = {Ian Hawes and Clive Howard-Williams and Andrew G Fountain},
	editor = {Warwick F. Vincent and Johanna Laybourn-Parry}
}
