@article {4080, title = {Soil biological responses to C, N and P fertilization in a polar desert of Antarctica}, journal = {Soil Biology and Biochemistry}, volume = {122}, year = {2018}, month = {07/2018}, chapter = {7}, abstract = {

In the polar desert ecosystem of the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, biology is constrained by available liquid water, low temperatures, as well as the availability of organic matter and nutrient elements. These soil ecosystems are climate-sensitive, where projected future warming may have profound effects on biological communities and biogeochemical cycling. Warmer temperatures will mobilize meltwater from permafrost and glaciers, may increase precipitation and may be accompanied by pulses of nutrient availability. Enhanced water and nutrient availability have the potential to greatly influence desert soil biology and ecosystem processes. The objectives of this 5-year study were to determine which nutrient elements (C, N, P) are most limiting to dry valley soil communities and whether landscape history (i.e.,\ in situ\ soil type and stoichiometry) influences soil community response to nutrient additions. After 3 years of no noticeable response, soil CO2\ flux was significantly higher under addition of C+ N than the other treatments, regardless of\ in situ\ soil stoichiometry, but microbial biomass and invertebrate abundance were variable and not influenced in the same manner. A stable isotope incubation suggests that fertilization increases C and N mineralization from organic matter via stimulating microbial activity, with loss of both the applied treatments as well\ in situ\ C and N. However, these responses are relatively short-lived, suggesting long-term impacts on C and N cycling would only occur if meltwater and nutrient pulses are sustained over time, a scenario that is increasingly likely for the dry valleys.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {00380717}, doi = {10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.03.025}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0038071718301081}, author = {Ball, Becky and Byron Adams and John E. Barrett and Diana H. Wall and Ross A. Virginia} } @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} } @article {1233, title = {Soil phosphorus cycling in an Antarctic polar desert}, journal = {Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta}, volume = {144}, year = {2008}, pages = {21-32}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {D. Brad Bate and John E. Barrett and Poage, M and Ross A. Virginia} } @mastersthesis {1255, title = {Soil organic matter sources and quality in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2007}, school = {Dartmouth College}, type = {masters}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {D. Brad Bate} } @article {1283, title = {Salt tolerance and survival thresholds for two species of Antarctic soil nematodes}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {29}, year = {2006}, pages = {643-651}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Johnson N. Nkem and Ross A. Virginia and John E. Barrett and Diana H. Wall and Li, G} } @article {1274, title = {Soil carbon turnover model for the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Soil Biology and Biochemistry}, volume = {38}, year = {2006}, pages = {3065-3082}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {John E. Barrett and Ross A. Virginia and Andrew N. Parsons and Diana H. Wall} } @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 {1342, title = {Soil carbon dioxide flux from Antarctic Dry Valley soils}, journal = {Ecosystems}, volume = {7}, year = {2004}, pages = {286-295}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Andrew N. Parsons and John E. Barrett and Diana H. Wall and Ross A. Virginia} } @thesis {1355, title = {Soil phosphorus dynamics in Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, volume = {B.S.}, year = {2004}, school = {Dartmouth College}, type = {bachelors}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {D. Brad Bate} } @article {1376, title = {Snow patch influence on soil biogeochemical processes and invertebrate distribution in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research}, volume = {35}, year = {2002}, month = {02/2003}, pages = {91-99}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1657/1523-0430(2003)035[0091:SPIOSB]2.0.CO;2}, url = {http://instaar.metapress.com/content/r086455ju7213711/}, author = {Michael N. Gooseff and John E. Barrett and Peter T. Doran and Andrew G Fountain and W. Berry Lyons and Andrew N. Parsons and Porazinska, D and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1529, title = {Soil Biodiversity and Community Structure in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, in Ecosystem Processes in a Polar Desert: The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Research Series}, volume = {72}, year = {1998}, pages = {323-335}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diana W. Freckman and Ross A. Virginia} } @article {1582, title = {Soil spatial variation along a toposequence in Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America Supplement}, volume = {77}, year = {1996}, pages = {197}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Mengchi Ho and Ross A. Virginia and Diana W. Freckman} } @article {1583, title = {Sources and distribution of abundance of organic matter in the Dry Valley soils of southern Victoria Land, Antarctica}, journal = {Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America Supplement}, volume = {77}, year = {1996}, pages = {56}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Melody J. Brown and Ross A. Virginia and C. Page Chamberlain} } @article {1603, title = {Soil chemistry along a glacial chronosequence on Andrews Ridge, Taylor Valley}, journal = {Antarctic Journal of the U.S.}, volume = {30}, year = {1995}, pages = {310-311}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Mengchi Ho and Ross A. Virginia and Powers, Laura E. and Diana W. Freckman} } @article {1605, title = {Spatial Distribution of Nematodes in Polar Desert Soils of Antarctica}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {15}, year = {1995}, pages = {325-333}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Powers, Laura E. and Diana W. Freckman and Ross A. Virginia} } @article {1629, title = {Survival of Scottnema lindsayae under extreme osmotic conditions}, journal = {Society of Nematologists}, year = {1994}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Powers, Laura E. and Diana W. Freckman and Ross A. Virginia} }