02587nas a2200313 4500008004100000022001400041245012700055210006900182260001200251300001100263520145800274653001701732653001401749653000801763653001901771653001501790100002301805700001801828700001501846700002401861700002501885700003301910700002901943700001701972700002201989700002102011700002102032856022002053 2024 eng d a0954-102000aMcMurdo Dry Valley lake edge ‘moats’: The ecological intersection between terrestrial and aquatic polar desert habitat0 aMcMurdo Dry Valley lake edge moats The ecological intersection b c04/2024 a1 - 173 a

Aquatic ecosystems - lakes, ponds and streams - are hotspots of biodiversity in the cold and arid environment of Continental Antarctica. Environmental change is expected to increasingly alter Antarctic aquatic ecosystems and modify the physical characteristics and interactions within the habitats that they support. Here, we describe physical and biological features of the peripheral ‘moat’ of a closed-basin Antarctic lake. These moats mediate connectivity amongst streams, lake and soils. We highlight the cyclical moat transition from a frozen winter state to an active open-water summer system, through refreeze as winter returns. Summer melting begins at the lakebed, initially creating an ice-constrained lens of liquid water in November, which swiftly progresses upwards, creating open water in December. Conversely, freezing progresses slowly from the water surface downwards, with water at 1 m bottom depth remaining liquid until May. Moats support productive, diverse benthic communities that are taxonomically distinct from those under the adjacent permanent lake ice. We show how ion ratios suggest that summer exchange occurs amongst moats, streams, soils and sub-ice lake water, perhaps facilitated by within-moat density-driven convection. Moats occupy a small but dynamic area of lake habitat, are disproportionately affected by recent lake-level rises and may thus be particularly vulnerable to hydrological change.

10aconnectivity10aecosystem10aice10amicrobial mats10atransition1 aStone, Michael, S.1 aDevlin, Shawn1 aHawes, Ian1 aWelch, Kathleen, A.1 aGooseff, Michael, N.1 aTakacs-Vesbach, Cristina, D.1 aMorgan-Kiss, Rachael, M.1 aAdams, Byron1 aBarrett, John, E.1 aPriscu, John, C.1 aDoran, Peter, T. uhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antarctic-science/article/mcmurdo-dry-valley-lake-edge-moats-the-ecological-intersection-between-terrestrial-and-aquatic-polar-desert-habitats/31D94DD51E651603482A3AE6E8A52A5702448nas a2200217 4500008004100000245010000041210006900141260001200210490000700222520174400229100001201973700001901985700002702004700002102031700001602052700001702068700002902085700002302114700002102137856007202158 2020 eng d00aMethane production in the oxygenated water column of a perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lake0 aMethane production in the oxygenated water column of a perennial c01/20200 v653 a

Aerobic methane production in aquatic ecosystems impacts the global atmospheric budget of methane, but the extent, mechanism, and taxa responsible for producing this greenhouse gas are not fully understood. Lake Bonney (LB), a perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lake, has cold hypersaline waters underlying an oxygenated freshwater layer. We present temporal methane concentration profiles in LB indicating methane production in the oxygenated (> 200% air saturation) water. Experiments amended with methylphosphonate (MPn) yielded methane generation, suggesting in situ methanogenesis via the carbon‐phosphorus (C‐P) lyase pathway. Enrichment cultures from the lake were used to isolate five bacterial strains capable of generating methane when supplied with MPn as the sole P source. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolates belong to the Proteobacteria (closely related to Marinomonas, Hoeflea, and Marinobacter genera) and Bacteroidetes (Algoriphagus genus). 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing confirms the presence of these taxa in LB. None of the isolated species were reported to be capable to produce methane. In addition, orthologs of the phosphoenolpyruvate mutase gene (PepM) and methylphosphonate synthase (MPnS), enzymes involved in phosphonate and MPn biosynthesis, were widely spread in the LB shotgun metagenomic libraries; genes related to C‐P lyase pathways (phn gene clusters) were also abundant. 16S rRNA and mcrA genes of anaerobic methanogens were absent in both 16S rRNA and metagenomics libraries. These data reveal that in situ aerobic biological methane production is likely a significant source of methane in LB.

1 aLi, Wei1 aDore, John, E.1 aSteigmeyer, August, J.1 aCho, Yong‐Joon1 aKim, Ok-Sun1 aLiu, Yongqin1 aMorgan-Kiss, Rachael, M.1 aSkidmore, Mark, L.1 aPriscu, John, C. uhttps://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lno.1125702036nas a2200145 4500008004100000245014100041210006900182260001200251490000700263520148900270100002301759700002901782700001701811856006201828 2017 eng d00aMultiple ice-binding proteins of probable prokaryotic origin in an Antarctic lake alga, Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-MDV (Chlorophyceae)0 aMultiple icebinding proteins of probable prokaryotic origin in a c08/20170 v533 a

Ice‐associated algae produce ice‐binding proteins (IBPs) to prevent freezing damage. The IBPs of the three chlorophytes that have been examined so far share little similarity across species, making it likely that they were acquired by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). To clarify the importance and source of IBPs in chlorophytes, we sequenced the IBP genes of another Antarctic chlorophyte, Chlamydomonas sp. ICE‐MDV (Chlamy‐ICE). Genomic DNA and total RNA were sequenced and screened for known ice‐associated genes. Chlamy‐ICE has as many as 50 IBP isoforms, indicating that they have an important role in survival. The IBPs are of the DUF3494 type and have similar exon structures. The DUF3494 sequences are much more closely related to prokaryotic sequences than they are to sequences in other chlorophytes, and the chlorophyte IBP and ribosomal 18S phylogenies are dissimilar. The multiple IBP isoforms found in Chlamy‐ICE and other algae may allow the algae to adapt to a greater variety of ice conditions than prokaryotes, which typically have a single IBP gene. The predicted structure of the DUF3494 domain has an ice‐binding face with an orderly array of hydrophilic side chains. The results indicate that Chlamy‐ICE acquired its IBP genes by HGT in a single event. The acquisitions of IBP genes by this and other species of Antarctic algae by HGT appear to be key evolutionary events that allowed algae to extend their ranges into polar environments.

1 aRaymond, James, A.1 aMorgan-Kiss, Rachael, M.1 aValentin, K. uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jpy.1255000845nas a2200193 4500008004100000022001400041245014300055210006900198260001600267300001400283490000700297100002100304700002800325700002900353700003300382700002200415700002100437856019300458 2016 eng d a0006-356800aMicrobial Community Dynamics in Two Polar Extremes: The Lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys and the West Antarctic Peninsula Marine Ecosystem0 aMicrobial Community Dynamics in Two Polar Extremes The Lakes of  cJan-10-2016 a829 - 8470 v661 aBowman, Jeff, S.1 aVick-Majors, Trista, J.1 aMorgan-Kiss, Rachael, M.1 aTakacs-Vesbach, Cristina, D.1 aDucklow, Hugh, W.1 aPriscu, John, C. uhttps://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biw103https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/66/10/829/2236137/Microbial-Community-Dynamics-in-Two-Polar-Extremes