@inbook {5009, title = {Antarctic mosaic: Mixing methods and metaphors in the McMurdo Dry Valleys}, booktitle = {The Field Guide to Mixing Social and Biophysical Methods in Environmental Research}, year = {2025}, pages = {355 - 376}, publisher = {Open Book Publishers}, organization = {Open Book Publishers}, address = {Cambridge, UK}, abstract = {

Different methods use different metaphors, and the way we write can reflect our underlying philosophical assumptions, positionalities, and values. To mix methods, it follows, is also in a very tangible sense to mix metaphors. In this chapter, we use the metaphor of a mosaic, as well as several others, to help us reflect on our experiences of working together on a decade-long historical research project about the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research site in East Antarctica. We describe our process of \‘going with the flow\’, using whichever methods we thought might help produce insights. We also describe the challenges and benefits of collaboratively writing together and offer several practical takeaways that may be useful for others conducting interdisciplinary mixed-methods research.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.11647/obp.0418.18}, url = {https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0418/chapters/10.11647/obp.0418.18}, author = {Chignell, Stephen M. and Howkins, Adrian and Andrew G Fountain}, editor = {Lave, Rebecca and Lane, Stuart N.} } @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 {4991, title = {An analysis of McMurdo Dry Valleys{\textquoteright} lotic habitats within Antarctica{\textquoteright}s protected area network and addressing gaps in biodiversity protection}, journal = {Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research}, volume = {56}, year = {2024}, month = {08/2024}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica\’s largest ice-free region, hosts unique terrestrial ecosystems, with biodiversity concentrated in the aquatic environments and surrounding soils. Despite being a scientific hub, the creation of the MDV Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA) made significant steps toward protecting the environment from degradation from human usage. However, with sustained human presence within the MDV, increasing human activity across Antarctica, and aquatic ecosystems subject to environmental change, the effectiveness of current protections for biodiversity conservation requires evaluation. This study employs spatial analysis of MDV protected areas, streams, lakes, research camps, and tourist sites to assess the robustness of current protections, identify underprotected areas, and outline steps for future protection. Within the MDV ASMA, five smaller Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) exist. Only two ASPAs contain streams, and only one with a full hydrologic catchment. With roughly 6\% of the lotic habitat area protected by ASPAs, the MDV fall short of global goals for freshwater protection. Past successful management of the MDV shows the effectiveness of collaboration and early action, and amongst calls for ASPA network expansion and restructuring, the MDV has the opportunity to be at the forefront again and increase the protection of Antarctic aquatic ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {1523-0430}, doi = {10.1080/15230430.2024.2375176}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15230430.2024.2375176}, author = {Wright, Anna T. and Brooks, Cassandra and Michael N. Gooseff and Howkins, Adrian and Chignell, Stephen M.} } @article {4998, title = {Antarctic lake viromes reveal potential virus associated influences on nutrient cycling in ice-covered lakes}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {15}, year = {2024}, month = {09/2024}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica are a mosaic of extreme habitats which are dominated by microbial life. The MDVs include glacial melt holes, streams, lakes, and soils, which are interconnected through the transfer of energy and flux of inorganic and organic material via wind and hydrology. For the first time, we provide new data on the viral community structure and function in the MDVs through metagenomics of the planktonic and benthic mat communities of Lakes Bonney and Fryxell. Viral taxonomic diversity was compared across lakes and ecological function was investigated by characterizing auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) and predicting viral hosts. Our data suggest that viral communities differed between the lakes and among sites: these differences were connected to microbial host communities. AMGs were associated with the potential augmentation of multiple biogeochemical processes in host, most notably with phosphorus acquisition, organic nitrogen acquisition, sulfur oxidation, and photosynthesis. Viral genome abundances containing AMGs differed between the lakes and microbial mats, indicating site specialization. Using procrustes analysis, we also identified significant coupling between viral and bacterial communities (p = 0.001). Finally, host predictions indicate viral host preference among the assembled viromes. Collectively, our data show that: (i) viruses are uniquely distributed through the McMurdo Dry Valley lakes, (ii) their AMGs can contribute to overcoming host nutrient limitation and, (iii) viral and bacterial MDV communities are tightly coupled.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, bacteria, limnology, metagenomics, virus}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2024.1422941}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1422941/full}, author = {Robinson, David M. and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and Wang, Zhong and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach} } @article {4868, title = {An Antarctic worm and its soil ecosystem: A review of an emerging research program in ecological genomics}, journal = {Applied Soil Ecology}, volume = {193}, year = {2024}, month = {01/2024}, pages = {105110}, abstract = {

Relationships between the evolution of species and their ecosystems can be difficult to accurately assess due to the high number of confounding biological variables (e.g., biotic interactions among community members and the resulting complex relationships between genetic pathways and organism phenotypes). Thus, progress in ecological genomics by making inferences about fundamental ecological patterns and processes is hampered by high biodiversity and subsequent complex biotic interactions. Study systems that are naturally low in biological and ecological complexity, and strongly structured by abiotic drivers, can serve as models for bridging the gap between controlled mesocosm experiments and natural ecosystems. The terrestrial ecosystems of the Antarctic dry valleys have low biodiversity and constrained ecological complexity, primarily because ecological communities are so strongly shaped by physical, rather than biological, factors. The harsh constraints of the physical environment on organismal evolution and the structure of ecological communities make this an optimal natural system for disentangling the influence of specific environmental parameters on genotype/phenotype and gene by environment interactions. This work reviews the biology, evolution, and ecology of an emerging model organism, the free-living nematode Plectus murrayi, in a model ecosystem, the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica. In the MDVs, habitat suitability, including nutrient availability, has been shown to drive organismal (nematode) life history evolution, including growth and reproduction, primarily by way of changes in the expression of developmental genes. Changes in growth rates and reproductive schedules are accomplished primarily through alterations of nuclear rRNA gene copy number. The predicted and observed responses to natural experiments have been replicated in the laboratory, providing a synthesis of field observations and experimental evolution. Studying such natural model systems as this could fill several persistent knowledge gaps in our understanding of how genetic variation, genomic architecture, and gene regulation drive the genotype-phenotype paradigm, and the consequent effects of these drivers on ecosystem structure and functioning.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, ecological amplitude, ecological succession, elemental stoichiometry, extreme environments, life history evolution, model systems}, issn = {09291393}, doi = {10.1016/j.apsoil.2023.105110}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929139323003086}, author = {Xue, Xia and Thompson, Andrew R. and Adams, Byron J.} } @article {4929, title = {The application and modification of WRF-Hydro/Glacier to a cold-based Antarctic glacier}, journal = {Hydrology and Earth System Sciences}, volume = {28}, year = {2024}, month = {02/2024}, pages = {459 - 478}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) are home to a unique microbial ecosystem that is dependent on the availability of freshwater. This is a polar desert and freshwater originates almost entirely from surface and near-surface melt of the cold-based glaciers. Understanding the future evolution of these environments requires the simulation of the full chain of physical processes from net radiative forcing, surface energy balance, melt, runoff and transport of meltwater in stream channels from the glaciers to the terminal lakes where the microbial community resides. To establish a new framework to do this, we present the first application of WRF-Hydro/Glacier in the MDV, which as a fully distributed hydrological model has the capability to resolve the streams from the glaciers to the bare land that surround them. Given that meltwater generation in the MDV is almost entirely dependent on small changes in the energy balance of the glaciers, the aim of this study is to optimize the multi-layer snowpack scheme that is embedded in WRF-Hydro/Glacier to ensure that the feedbacks between albedo, snowfall and melt are fully resolved. To achieve this, WRF-Hydro/Glacier is implemented at a point scale using automatic weather station data on Commonwealth Glacier to physically model the onset, duration and end of melt over a 7-month period (1 August 2021 to 28 February 2022). To resolve the limited energetics controlling melt, it was necessary to (1) limit the percolation of meltwater through the ice layers in the multi-layer snowpack scheme and (2) optimize the parameters controlling the albedo of both snow and ice over the melt season based on observed spectral signatures of albedo. These modifications enabled the variability of broadband albedo over the melt season to be accurately simulated and ensured that modelled surface and near-surface temperatures, surface height change and runoff were fully resolved. By establishing a new framework that couples a detailed snowpack model to a fully distributed hydrological model, this work provides a stepping stone to model the spatial and temporal variability of melt and streamflow in the future, which will enable some of the unknown questions about the hydrological connectivity of the MDV to be answered.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.5194/hess-28-459-2024}, url = {https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/459/2024/}, author = {Pletzer, Tamara and Conway, Jonathan P. and Cullen, Nicolas J. and Eidhammer, Trude and Katurji, Marwan} } @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 {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 {4585, title = {Antarctic water tracks: Microbial community responses to variation in soil moisture, pH, and salinity}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {12}, year = {2021}, month = {01/2021}, abstract = {

Ice-free soils in the McMurdo Dry Valleys select for taxa able to cope with challenging environmental conditions, including extreme chemical water activity gradients, freeze-thaw cycling, desiccation, and solar radiation regimes. The low biotic complexity of Dry Valley soils makes them well suited to investigate environmental and spatial influences on bacterial community structure. Water tracks are annually wetted habitats in the cold-arid soils of Antarctica that form briefly each summer with moisture sourced from snow melt, ground ice thaw, and atmospheric deposition via deliquescence and vapor flow into brines. Compared to neighboring arid soils, water tracks are highly saline and relatively moist habitats. They represent a considerable area (\∼5\–10 km2) of the Dry Valley terrestrial ecosystem, an area that is expected to increase with ongoing climate change. The goal of this study was to determine how variation in the environmental conditions of water tracks influences the composition and diversity of microbial communities. We found significant differences in microbial community composition between on- and off-water track samples, and across two distinct locations. Of the tested environmental variables, soil salinity was the best predictor of community composition, with members of the Bacteroidetes phylum being relatively more abundant at higher salinities and the Actinobacteria phylum showing the opposite pattern. There was also a significant, inverse relationship between salinity and bacterial diversity. Our results suggest water track formation significantly alters dry soil microbial communities, likely influencing subsequent ecosystem functioning. We highlight how Dry Valley water tracks could be a useful model system for understanding the potential habitability of transiently wetted environments found on the surface of Mars.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, extremophiles, Mars analog, microbial ecology, water tracks}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2021.616730}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.616730}, author = {George, Scott F. and Noah Fierer and Joseph S. Levy and Byron Adams} } @article {4769, title = {Antarctica during the Pandemic: Scaled-back field season prioritizes infrastructure, precious climate data}, journal = {BioScience}, volume = {71}, year = {2021}, month = {05/2021}, pages = {434 - 440}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0006-3568}, doi = {10.1093/biosci/biab031}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/71/5/434/6188800}, author = {Mayer, Amy} } @thesis {4443, title = {Analysis of acid-leachable barium, copper, iron, lead, \& zinc concentrations in Taylor Valley, Antarctic stream sediments}, volume = {B.S.}, year = {2020}, month = {05/2020}, school = {The Ohio State University}, type = {bachelors}, address = {Columbus, OH}, abstract = {

The purpose of this study is to assess the concentrations of Barium (Ba), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb), and Zinc (Zn) in sediment samples obtained from the Wales and Commonwealth streams located in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. These samples were collected at seven sample sites (three in Wales Glacier and four in Commonwealth Glacier) in 0 to 2 cm, 2 to 4 cm, 4 to 6 cm, and 6 to 8 cm depth increments which resulted in 28 total samples. After the collection process, these samples underwent a volumetric 1:5 sediment: 10\% HCl leach for 48 hours, filtration through 4-\µm pore-size, cellulose acetate membrane filters, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analyses in the Trace Element Research Laboratory at The Ohio State University. Upon completion of the analyses, results showed that the Wales samples had a higher average concentration of every metal element overall and at each depth increment when compared to the Commonwealth samples. In addition to the weak-acid leachate metal analyses, a second aliquot of one sediment profile from each stream was analyzed at Villanova University for the 210Pb activity via gamma spectroscopy. This was done to estimate the sedimentation rates at each of these sites. From the sedimentation rates, sedimentation fluxes were calculated for each element for each sediment profile at each of these sites. The data demonstrated that Fe is the most abundant element while Pb is the least abundant. Lastly, upon examination of results, it was found that the concentrations of these metals are often higher in samples collected closer to the surface. These findings suggest these streams, and their sources, have had little, if any, impact by anthropogenic input of metals, and that metal fluxes to the sediments are low.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, acid-leachable metal, Antarctica, geochemistry, McMurdo Dry Valleys, polar sediments, sedimentation rate}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/1811/91772}, author = {Piergallini, Brianna and W. Berry Lyons} } @article {4154, title = {The Antarctic psychrophiles Chlamydomonas spp. UWO241 and ICE-MDV exhibit differential restructuring of photosystem I in response to iron}, journal = {Photosynthesis Research}, volume = {9}, year = {2019}, month = {02/2019}, abstract = {

Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241 is a psychrophilic alga isolated from the deep photic zone of a perennially ice-covered Antarctic lake (east lobe Lake Bonney, ELB). Past studies have shown that C. sp. UWO241 exhibits constitutive downregulation of photosystem I (PSI) and high rates of PSI-associated cyclic electron flow (CEF). Iron levels in ELB are in the nanomolar range leading us to hypothesize that the unusual PSI phenotype of C. sp. UWO241 could be a response to chronic Fe-deficiency. We studied the impact of Fe availability in C. sp. UWO241, a mesophile, C. reinhardtii SAG11-32c, as well as a psychrophile isolated from the shallow photic zone of ELB, Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-MDV. Under Fe-deficiency, PsaA abundance and levels of photooxidizable P700 (ΔA820/A820) were reduced in both psychrophiles relative to the mesophile. Upon increasing Fe, C. sp. ICE-MDV and C. reinhardtii exhibited restoration of PSI function, while C. sp. UWO241 exhibited only moderate changes in PSI activity and lacked almost all LHCI proteins. Relative to Fe-excess conditions (200 μM Fe2+), C. sp. UWO241 grown in 18 μM Fe2+ exhibited downregulation of light harvesting and photosystem core proteins, as well as upregulation of a bestrophin-like anion channel protein and two CEF-associated proteins (NdsS, PGL1). Key enzymes of starch synthesis and shikimate biosynthesis were also upregulated. We conclude that in response to variable Fe availability, the psychrophile C. sp. UWO241 exhibits physiological plasticity which includes restructuring of the photo-chemical apparatus, increased PSI-associated CEF, and shifts in downstream carbon metabolism toward storage carbon and secondary stress metabolites.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, Cyclic electron flow, Iron, Photosystem I, Psychrophile}, issn = {0166-8595}, doi = {10.1007/s11120-019-00621-0}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11120-019-00621-0}, author = {Cook, Greg and Teufel, Amber and Kalra, Isha and Li, Wei and Wang, Xin and John C. Priscu and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4156, title = {Aeolian material transport and its role in landscape connectivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface}, volume = {123}, year = {2018}, month = {12/2018}, pages = {3323 - 3337}, abstract = {

Arid regions, particularly polar and alpine desert environments, have diminished landscape connectivity compared to temperate regions due to limited and/or seasonal hydrological processes. For these environments, aeolian processes play a particularly important role in landscape evolution and biotic community vitality through nutrient and solute additions. The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) are the largest ice-free area in Antarctica and are potentially a major source of aeolian material for the continent. From this region, samples were collected at five heights (~5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 cm) above the surface seasonally for 2013 through 2015 from Alatna Valley, Victoria Valley, Miers Valley, and Taylor Valley (Taylor Glacier, East Lake Bonney, F6 (Lake Fryxell), and Explorer\’s Cove). Despite significant geological separation and varying glacial histories, low-elevation and coastal sites had similar major ion chemistries, as did high-elevation and inland locations. This locational clustering of compositions was also evident in scanning electron microscopy images and principal component analyses, particularly for samples collected at ~100 cm above the surface. Compared to published soil literature, aeolian material in Taylor Valley demonstrates a primarily down-valley transport of material toward the coast. Soluble N:P ratios in the aeolian material reflect relative nutrient enrichments seen in MDV soils and lakes, where younger, coastal soils are relatively N depleted, while older, up-valley soils are relatively P depleted. The aeolian transport of materials, including water-soluble nutrients, is an important vector of connectivity within the MDV and provides a mechanism to help \“homogenize\” the geochemistry of both soil and aquatic ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1029/2017JF004589}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2017JF004589}, author = {Melisa A. Diaz and Byron Adams and Kathleen A. Welch and Sue Welch and Opiyo, Stephen O. and Khan, Alia L. and Diane M. McKnight and Craig S Cary and W. Berry Lyons} } @mastersthesis {4166, title = {Antarctic Chlamydomonas strains C. sp. UWO241 and ICE-MDV exhibit differential restructuring of the photosynthetic apparatus in response to iron}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2018}, month = {2018}, school = {Miami University}, type = {masters}, address = {Oxford, OH}, abstract = {

As an integral cofactor for many redox-associated processes, iron (Fe) homeostasis is crucial in order to produce sufficient energy for the organism. Fe limitation, or excess, can cause major alterations in the function and structure of the photosynthetic apparatus. Photosynthetic psychrophiles grown under permanent low temperatures exhibit novel adaptations in their photosynthetic apparatus to deal with this permanent stress. The ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys harbor many species of cold-adapted algae, including Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241 (UWO241). As a consequence of adaptation to multiple permanent extreme conditions, UWO241 exhibits a remodeled photosynthetic apparatus for maintaining redox poise. One unusual characteristic of UWO241 is the absence of a PSI-associated 77K fluorescence emission under a wide range of growth conditions. This phenotype resembles Fe deficiency in other model organisms such as C. reinhardtii. We hypothesized that adaptation to permanent iron deficiency in its native environment may contribute to this unusual phenotype. We compared the effect of Fe availability on the physiology and photobiology of UWO241 with the model C. reinhardtii as well as a second psychrophilic alga, Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-MDV (ICE). The impacts of a restructured photosynthetic apparatus on the unique Fe-associated phenotype in UWO241 will be discussed.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1525455621778836}, author = {Cook, Greg and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @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 {3223, title = {Accumulation and marine forcing of ice dynamics in the western Ross Sea during the last~deglaciation}, journal = {Nature Geoscience}, volume = {8}, year = {2015}, month = {Jan-07-2016}, pages = {625 - 628}, abstract = {

The grounding line of the ice sheet in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, retreated between the Last Glacial Maximum and the present. However, the timing of the retreat and the interplay of factors controlling ice stability in this region1\ remain uncertain. Here we use 180 radiocarbon dates to reconstruct the chronology of moraine construction on the headlands adjacent to western McMurdo Sound. On the basis of these dates we then assess the timing of ice expansion and retreat in the Ross drainage system that is fed from both the East and West Antarctic ice sheets. We find that grounded ice in the western Ross Sea achieved its greatest thickness and extent during the last termination, between 12,800 and 18,700 years ago. Maximum ice thickness at our site coincides with a period of high accumulation as recorded by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core2. Recession of the ice sheet from the headland moraines began about 12,800 years ago, despite continued high accumulation and the expansion of land-based glaciers at this time. We therefore suggest that the grounding-line retreat reflects an increased marine influence as sea levels rose and the ocean warmed. We suggest that future instability in the ice sheet grounding line may occur whenever the ocean forcing is stronger than forcing from accumulation.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {1752-0894}, doi = {10.1038/ngeo2478}, url = {http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/ngeo2478}, author = {Brenda L. Hall and George H. Denton and Heath, Stephanie L. and Margaret S. Jackson and Koffman, Tobias N. B.} } @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} } @article {3306, title = {Antarctic streams as a potential source of iron for the Southern Ocean: Figure 1.}, journal = {Geology}, volume = {43}, year = {2015}, month = {11/2016}, pages = {1003 - 1006}, chapter = {1003}, abstract = {

Due to iron\’s role in oceanic primary production, there has been great interest in quantifying the importance of Fe in regions where concentrations are very low and macronutrients, nitrate and phosphate, are available. Measurements of filterable (i.e., \<0.4 μm) Fe concentrations in streams from Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, suggest that coastal-zone stream Fe input to the Southern Ocean could potentially play an important role in primary production in nearshore regions. Filterable Fe (fFe) data from streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys were used to represent glacier meltwater that flows through ice-free landscape with the potential of transporting Fe to the Antarctic coastal zone. Estimates of potential fFe flux to the Antarctic Peninsula region using our mean fFe concentration of 10.6 \µg L\–1\ combined with an estimate of ice-free area for the Antarctic Peninsula result in an fFe flux of 1.2 \× 107\ g yr\–1. Although small compared to iceberg and aeolian Fe fluxes, future stream input to the Southern Ocean could increase due to glacier retreat and\ 

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {0091-7613}, doi = {10.1130/G36989.1}, url = {http://geology.gsapubs.org/lookup/doi/10.1130/G36989.1http://geology.geoscienceworld.org/lookup/doi/10.1130/G36989.1}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and Dailey, Kelsey R. and Kathleen A. Welch and Deuerling, Kelly M. and Sue Welch and Diane M. McKnight} } @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 {3214, title = {Autonomous Year-Round Sampling and Sensing to Explore the Physical and Biological Habitability of Permanently Ice-Covered Antarctic Lakes}, journal = {Marine Technology Society Journal}, volume = {48}, year = {2014}, month = {Jan-09-2014}, pages = {8 - 17}, abstract = {

The lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, are some of the only systems on our planet that are perennially ice-covered and support year-round metabolism. As such, these ecosystems can provide important information on conditions and life in polar regions on Earth and on other icy worlds in our solar system. Working in these extreme environments of the Dry Valleys poses many challenges, particularly with respect to data collection during dark winter months when logistical constraints make fieldwork difficult. In this paper, we describe the motivation, design, and challenges for this recently deployed instrumentation in Lake Bonney, a lake that has been the subject of summer research efforts for more than 40 years. The instrumentation deployed includes autonomous water, phytoplankton, and sediment samplers as well as cable-mounted profiling platforms with dissolved gas and fluorometry sensors. Data obtained from these instruments will allow us, for the first time, to define the habitability of this environment during the polar night. We include lessons learned during deployment and recommendations for effective instrument operation in these extreme conditions.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, issn = {00253324}, doi = {10.4031/MTSJ.48.5.6}, url = {http://openurl.ingenta.com/content/xref?genre=article\&issn=0025-3324\&volume=48\&issue=5\&spage=8http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/mts/mtsj/2014/00000048/00000005/art00002}, author = {Winslow, Luke A. and Hilary A. Dugan and Heather N. Buelow and Cronin, Kyle D. and John C. Priscu and Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and Peter T. Doran} } @article {1091, title = {Accelerated thermokarst formation in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {3}, year = {2013}, month = {07/2013}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1038/srep02269}, url = {http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130724/srep02269/full/srep02269.html?WT.ec_id=SREP-20130730}, author = {Joseph S. Levy and Andrew G Fountain and Dickson, James L. and Head, James W. and Okal, Marianne and Marchant, David R. and Watters, Jaclyn} } @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} } @phdthesis {4367, title = {The application of stable isotopes, δ11B, δ18O, and δD, in geochemical and hydrological investigations}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2013}, school = {Ohio State University}, type = {doctoral}, address = {Columbus, OH}, abstract = {

My dissertation research utilizes stable isotopes as tracers of water and solute sources to study specific geochemical (solute origin) and hydrological (glacier meltwater source across a season comparing water contributions from hyporheic zone and/or glacier melt and residence time of precipitation within a managed water supply) problems within McMurdo Dry Valleys (MCM), Antarctica, and Central Ohio, USA. In Chapter II, δ11B isotopic and dissolved B measurements are used to infer the origin of B within MCM aquatic system. Boron stable isotopic values span the range of +12.3\‰ to +51.4\‰, varying from glacier meltwater streams to the hypolimnion of a highly evaporated hypersaline lake. These data demonstrate that the major sources of B are chemical weathering of alumniosilicates within the stream channels, and a marine source, either currently introduced by marine-derived aerosols or from ancient seawater. In-lake processes create a more positive δ11B through adsorption or mineral precipitation. The glacier meltwater streams, Lakes Fryxell, Hoare, and upper waters of Lake Joyce display a mixture of these two sources, with Lake Joyce bottom waters primarily of marine origin. Lakes Bonney and Vanda and Blood Falls brine are interpreted as having a marine-like source changed by in-lake processes to result in a more positive δ11B, while Don Juan Pond displays a more terrestrial influence. In Chapter III, δ18O and δD are used to trace water source variation via hyporheic zone or glacier melt within two MCM streams over an entire melt season. The isotopic variation of these streams was more negative at the beginning of the season and more positive later. D-excess measurements were used to infer mixing between hyporheic storage and glacier meltwater. It was supported that Von Guerard Stream has a large, widespread hyporheic zone that changes with time and discharge amounts. The chemistry of Andersen Creek also displayed hyporheic zone influence at certain times of the year. This work adds important new information on the role of hyperheic zone-stream interactions, and supports the short term, more physically based, descriptions of hyporheic dynamics explained in the past decade. Chapter IV describes water flow and travel time within a human managed watershed-reservoir system by measuring the δ18O and δD of the precipitation source to the reservoirs and finally to the distribution system, the tap. Generally, the tap waters experienced little lag time in the managed system, having a residence time of about two months. Tap and reservoir waters preserved the precipitation signal with the reservoir morphology acting as an important control. These water supply reservoirs functioned more like a river system with a faster throughput of water and larger variations in chemical parameters. Other water supply reservoirs have a greater capacity with a larger amount of water supply usage through a more lacustrine environment, which displays more constant solute concentrations and longer flow-through times. This work provides a basic understanding of a regional water supply system in central Ohio, reservoir isotopic dynamics, and Ohio precipitation sources.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Antarctica, boron isotopes, hyporheic zone, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Ohio precipitation source, oxygen-18 and deuterium isotopes, saline lake}, url = { http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1386000037}, author = {Leslie, D.L. and W. Berry Lyons} } @mastersthesis {4172, title = {Are the Dry Valleys getting wetter? A preliminary assessment of wetness across the McMurdo Dry Valleys landscape}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2013}, month = {2013}, school = {Pennsylvania State University}, type = {masters}, abstract = {

Liquid water is scarce across the landscape of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica and is associated with soils that are adjacent to streams and lakes, during the annual thaw season. However, seeps, water tracks, and wet patches have been observed at several other locations as well. The source of water for these is likely generated by a combination of infiltration from melting snowpacks, melting of pore ice at the ice table beneath the water tracks, and melting of buried segregation ice formed during winter freezing. We are using high resolution (\<1m pixel) remote sensing data gathered several times per week in the MDV region to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of wet soils. We assess the spatial consistency with which these wet soils occur for the 2008-2009 to 2011-2012 austral summers with complete coverage and partial coverage for 2003-2004 and 2006-2007 austral summers using a land cover classification. We also quantify the soil moisture of wetted soils using an artificial neural network (ANN). The ANN utilizes field radiometer data to retrieve estimates of surface moisture based on the spectral measurements and soil moisture samples collected during the 2010-2011 field season. The remote sensing based analyses of the wetted soils have shown the magnitude to vary greatly and how topography and regional microclimates influence the wetted soils in the MDV. The 2010-2011 austral summer provided the most wetted soil area, 10.21 km2, and 2008- 2009 covered the least, 5.38 km2. The ANN soil moisture distribution in the MDV shows values ranging from 0.36 \% to over 19 \%. We suggest that wet soils are a significant component of this cold desert land system and ecosystem.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/17364}, author = {Langford, Z. L. and Michael N. Gooseff} } @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 {1132, title = {Antarctic nematode communities: observed and predicted responses to climate change}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {34}, year = {2011}, month = {11/2011}, pages = {1701 - 1711}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-011-1021-2}, url = {http://www.springerlink.com/content/v588t5671p1w1323/}, author = {Uffe N. Nielsen and Diana H. Wall and Byron Adams and Ross A. Virginia} } @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.} } @mastersthesis {4366, title = {Aeolian sediments of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2010}, school = {Ohio State University}, type = {masters}, address = {Columbus, OH}, abstract = {

The role of dust has become a topic of increasing interest in the interface between climate and geological/ecological sciences. Dust emitted from major sources, the majority of which are desert regions in the Northern Hemisphere, is transported via suspension in global wind systems and incorporated into the biogeochemical cycles of the ecosystems where it is ultimately deposited. While emissions within the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) region of Antarctica are small compared to other source regions, the redistribution of new, reactive material by wind may be important to sustaining life in the ecosystem.


The interaction of the dry, warm foehn winds and the cool, moist coastal breezes \“recycles\” soil particles throughout the landscape. The bulk of sediment movement occurs during foehn events in the winter that redistribute material throughout the MDV. To understand the source and transfer of this material samples were collected early in the austral summer (November 2008) prior to the initiation of extensive ice melt from glacial and lake surfaces, aeolian landforms, and elevated sediment traps. These were preserved and processed for grain size distribution and major element composition at the sand and silt particle sizes. Major elemental oxide analysis indicated that the silt and sand size particles are of different composition: SiO2 values for silt range from 50 to 59\% by weight and for sand range from 59 to 74\%. When compared to the elemental oxide composition four rock types present in the MDV, the composition of the silt indicates a mixing influenced mostly by the igneous rock types (Ferrar Dolerite and McMurdo Volcanic basanite) and sand a mixing influenced largely by the sedimentary rocks (Beacon Sandstone and the metasedimentary Basement Complex). This could imply a local source of the aeolian material that is corroborated by low CIA values at both particle sizes (44-57\%) indicating low degrees of chemical weathering. In addition, comparison of 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd to values published for the major MDV rock types and ice core dust to values analyzed in 3 silt size glacier sample and one bulk glacier sample also indicates a local source of sediments and that it is not likely to be transferred inland.


During the melt season, the aeolian material is actively solubilized where it interacts with water, releasing solutes and vital bioavailable nutrients throughout the aquatic system. Differences in the chemistry of supra- and proglacial streams as well as lake surface waters may be derived from the deposition and dissolution of these aeolian sediments. To simulate these conditions, a two-step leaching method using deionized water to represent glacial melt in field conditions was employed and leachates analyzed for major ion and nutrient constituents. Leachates represent a small degree (\<0.7\%) of dissolution of major elements, and are solubilized to a greater extent from samples closer to the coast or with increased silt content. The composition of the leachates reflects the dissolution of the major salts found in the MDV. Leach 1 (cold water) indicates that Na- and Cl-bearing salt phases are dissolved to a greater extent than seen in Leach 2 (freeze-thaw). Conversely, Leach 2 compositions indicate that carbonate mineral dissolution and Mg-bearing silicate weathering are proceeding to a greater extent than in Leach 1.


Inorganic N:P ratios follow the same patterns of nutrient limitations based on the Redfield Ratio found by Priscu (1995) in the terminal lakes of the Taylor Valley: N-limited in the Fryxell and Hoare basins (east) and P-limited in the Bonney basin (west). This is also consistent with the age of the tills in the area, as found by Gudding (2003). The concentration of soluble Fe in the leachates is about the same as soluble inorganic P, and thus is not a limiting nutrient in the leachates. Comparison of total dissolved N and P to their inorganic counterparts reveals increased organic nutrients in the glacier and lake leachates that may indicate the influence of biota. Nutrient fluxes based on known sediment fluxes from elevated sediment traps deployed throughout the MDV and the composition of these leachates range from 0.34-330 g a-1 for N, 0.02-8.3 g a-1 for P, and 0.03-8.6 g a-1 for Fe. These are at least two orders of magnitude less than calculated loads from streams to the lakes in the Taylor Valley and, thus, should be considered underestimations or minima.


This work provides the first investigation into the composition and source of aeolian transported materials in the MDV, as well of what is potentially solubilized from it during the austral summer melt season. In addition, it will contribute to the understanding of the interplay between aeolian and aquatic processes in the MDV and further the understanding of this unique ecosystem.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, aeolian transport, Antarctica, dust, experimental leaching, geochemistry, McMurdo Dry Valleys, sediment provenance, weathering}, url = {http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1290524862}, author = {Deuerling, Kelly M. and W. Berry Lyons} } @article {1151, title = {Antarctic lakes suggest millennial reorganizations of Southern Hemisphere atmospheric and oceanic circulation}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {107}, year = {2010}, month = {12/2010}, pages = {21355 - 21359}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1007250107}, url = {http://www.pnas.org/content/107/50/21355.full.pdf$\#$page=1\&view=FitH}, author = {Brenda L. Hall and George H. Denton and Andrew G Fountain and Chris H. Hendy and Gideon M. Henderson} } @inbook {1168, title = {Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valley stream ecosystems as analog to fluvial systems on Mars}, booktitle = {Life in Antarctic Deserts and other Cold Dry Environments}, year = {2010}, pages = {139 - 159}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, organization = {Cambridge University Press}, address = {Cambridge}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, isbn = {9780521889193}, doi = {10.1017/CBO9780511712258.005}, author = {Michael N. Gooseff and Diane M. McKnight and Carr, M. H. and Baeseman, J.}, editor = {Peter T. Doran and W. Berry Lyons and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {1155, title = {The Antarctic Nematode Plectus murrayi: An Emerging Model to Study Multiple Stress Survival}, journal = {Cold Spring Harbor Protocols}, volume = {2010}, year = {2010}, month = {11/2010}, pages = {pdb.emo142 - pdb.emo142}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1101/pdb.emo142}, author = {Bishwo N. Adhikari and Cecilia M. Tomasel and Li, G and Diana H. Wall and Byron Adams} } @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} } @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} } @article {1257, title = {Adaptation and acclimation of photosynthetic microorganisms to permanently cold environments}, journal = {Microbial and Molecular Biology Review}, volume = {70}, year = {2006}, month = {03/2006}, pages = {222-252}, abstract = {

Persistently cold environments constitute one of our world\&$\#$39;s largest ecosystems, and microorganisms dominate the biomass and metabolic activity in these extreme environments. The stress of low temperatures on life is exacerbated in organisms that rely on photoautrophic production of organic carbon and energy sources. Phototrophic organisms must coordinate temperature-independent reactions of light absorption and photochemistry with temperature-dependent processes of electron transport and utilization of energy sources through growth and metabolism. Despite this conundrum, phototrophic microorganisms thrive in all cold ecosystems described and (together with chemoautrophs) provide the base of autotrophic production in low-temperature food webs. Psychrophilic (organisms with a requirement for low growth temperatures) and psychrotolerant (organisms tolerant of low growth temperatures) photoautotrophs rely on low-temperature acclimative and adaptive strategies that have been described for other low-temperature-adapted heterotrophic organisms, such as cold-active proteins and maintenance of membrane fluidity. In addition, photoautrophic organisms possess other strategies to balance the absorption of light and the transduction of light energy to stored chemical energy products (NADPH and ATP) with downstream consumption of photosynthetically derived energy products at low temperatures. Lastly, differential adaptive and acclimative mechanisms exist in phototrophic microorganisms residing in low-temperature environments that are exposed to constant low-light environments versus high-light- and high-UV-exposed phototrophic assemblages.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1128/​MMBR.70.1.222-252.2006}, author = {Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and John C. Priscu and Pocock, T and Gudynaite-Savitch, L and Norman P.A. Huner} } @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} } @inbook {1260, title = {Antarctic lake systems and climate change}, booktitle = {Trends in Antarctic Terrestrial and Limnetic Ecosystems: Antarctica as a Global Indicator}, year = {2006}, publisher = {S}, organization = {S}, address = {Dordrecht, The Netherlands}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {W. Berry Lyons and Johanna Laybourn-Parry and Kathleen A. Welch and John C. Priscu}, editor = {D.M. Bergstrom and Peter Convey and A.H.L. Huiskes} } @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 {1377, title = {Antarctic climate cooling and terrestrial ecosystem response}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {415}, year = {2002}, month = {01/2002}, pages = {517-520}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Climate Response}, doi = {10.1038/nature710}, author = {Peter T. Doran and John C. Priscu and W. Berry Lyons and John E. Walsh and Andrew G Fountain and Diane M. McKnight and Daryl L. Moorhead and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall and Gary D. Clow and Christian H. Fritsen and Christopher P. McKay and Andrew N. Parsons} } @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} } @mastersthesis {1424, title = {Active layer dynamics and hyporheic zone storage in three streams in the McMurdo Dy Valleys, Antarctica}, volume = {M.S.}, year = {2000}, school = {University of Colorado}, type = {masters}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Peter A. Conovitz} } @inbook {1449, title = {Arctic and Antarctic lakes: contrast or continuum?}, booktitle = {Poles Apart: A Study in Contrasts}, year = {1999}, pages = {59-68}, publisher = {University of Ottawa Press}, organization = {University of Ottawa Press}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Peter Adams and Ecclestone, M} } @article {1485, title = {The Abundance of Ammonium-Oxidizing Bacteria in Lake Bonney, Antarctica Determined by Immunofluorescence, PCR and In Situ Hybridization, in Ecosystem Processes in a Polar Desert: The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Research Series}, volume = {72}, year = {1998}, pages = {217-228}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Mary A. Voytek and Bess B. Ward and John C. Priscu} } @article {1481, title = {Analysis of transient storage subject to unsteady flow: diel flow variation in an Antarctic stream}, journal = {Journal of the North American Benthological Society}, volume = {17}, year = {1998}, month = {06/1998}, pages = {143-154}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/1467958}, author = {Robert L. Runkel and Diane M. McKnight and Edmund D. Andrews} } @article {1486, title = {Antarctic lake-ice microbial consortia: Origin, distribution, and growth physiology}, journal = {Antarctic Journal of the United States - 1996 Review Issue (NSF 98-28)}, volume = {31}, year = {1998}, pages = {223-224}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {John C. Priscu and Christian H. Fritsen} } @article {1483, title = {Antarctic paleolake sediments and the search for extinct life on Mars}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets}, volume = {103}, year = {1998}, month = {05/1998}, pages = {28481-28493}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1029/98JE01713}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and David J. DesMarais and Christopher P. McKay} } @inbook {1544, title = {The abundance of planktonic virus-like particles in Antarctic lakes}, booktitle = {Ecosystem Processes in Antarctic Ice-free Landscapes}, year = {1997}, pages = {241-250}, publisher = {Balkema Press}, organization = {Balkema Press}, address = {Rotterdam}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Kepner, R.L. and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and Galchenko, V} } @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 {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} }