02991nas a2200229 4500008004100000245018700041210006900228260001200297490000700309520217100316653001802487653001102505653001602516653001402532653001802546653001102564100002102575700002202596700002402618700002402642856009502666 2024 eng d00aDrifting along: Using diatoms to track the contribution of microbial mats to particulate organic matter transport in a glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica0 aDrifting along Using diatoms to track the contribution of microb c05/20240 v153 a

Flow pulses mobilize particulate organic matter (POM) in streams from the surrounding landscape and streambed. This POM serves as a source of energy and nutrients, as well as a means for organismal dispersal, to downstream communities. In the barren terrestrial landscape of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica, benthic microbial mats occupying different in-stream habitat types are the dominant POM source in the many glacier-fed streams. Many of these streams experience daily flow peaks that mobilize POM, and diatoms recovered from underlying stream sediments suggest that mat-derived diatoms in the POM are retained there through hyporheic exchange. Yet, ‘how much’ and ‘when’ different in-stream habitat types contribute to POM diatom assemblages is unknown. To quantify the contribution of different in-stream habitat types to POM diatom assemblages, we collected time-integrated POM samples over four diel experiments, which spanned a gradient of flow conditions over three summers. Diatoms from POM samples were identified, quantified, and compared with dominant habitat types (i.e., benthic ‘orange’ mats, marginal ‘black’ mats, and bare sediments). Like bulk POM, diatom cell concentrations followed a clockwise hysteresis pattern with stream discharge over the daily flow cycles, indicating supply limitation. Diatom community analyses showed that different habitat types harbor distinct diatom communities, and mixing models revealed that a substantial proportion of POM diatoms originated from bare sediments during baseflow conditions. Meanwhile, orange and black mats contribute diatoms to POM primarily during daily flow peaks when both cell concentrations and discharge are highest, making mats the most important contributors to POM diatom assemblages at high flows. These observations may help explain the presence of mat-derived diatoms in hyporheic sediments. Our results thus indicate a varying importance of different in-stream habitats to POM generation and export on daily to seasonal timescales, with implications for biogeochemical cycling and the local diatom metacommunity.

10acyanobacteria10adiatom10aflow regime10ahydrology10amicrobial mat10aNostoc1 aStanish, Lee, F.1 aKohler, Tyler, J.1 aDarling, Joshua, P.1 aMcKnight, Diane, M. uhttps://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1352666/full02541nas a2200241 4500008004100000245010600041210006900147260001200216520180200228653001202030653000602042653001802048653001902066653001302085653001902098653000602117653002202123100002202145700002202167700002102189700002402210856006502234 2023 eng d00aNitrogen fixation facilitates stream microbial mat biomass across the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica0 aNitrogen fixation facilitates stream microbial mat biomass acros c07/20233 a

Nitrogen (N) fixation is a fundamental mechanism by which N enters streams. Yet, because of modern N saturation, it is difficult to study the importance of N-fixation to stream nutrient budgets. Here, we utilized relatively simple and pristine McMurdo Dry Valley streams to investigate the role of N-fixing Nostoc abundance, streamwater dissolved inorganic N (DIN) concentration, and distance from the source glacier in regulating the elemental and isotopic composition of three microbial mat types (black, orange, and green) at the landscape scale. We found Nostoc-based black mats were the most enriched in δ15N, and δ15N signatures of mats increased where Nostoc was abundant, but did not surpass the atmospheric standard (δ15N ≈ 0‰). Furthermore, green and orange mat δ15N signatures became more depleted with increasing DIN, indicating that mats utilize glacial meltwater-sourced N when available. The distance from the source glacier explained limited variability in mat δ15N across sites, indicating the influence of individual stream characteristics on N spiraling. To further explore longitudinal N spiraling processes generating observed δ15Ν patterns, we developed a simple steady-state mathematical model. Analysis of plausible scenarios with this model confirmed that streams both have the capacity to remove allochthonous DIN over the plausible range of inputs, and that internal N sources are required to account for δ15N signatures and observed DIN concentrations at stream outlets. Collectively, these data and modeling results demonstrate that N-fixation exerts substantial influence within and across these streams, and is presumably dependent upon interconnected organic matter reserves, mineralization rates, and geomorphology.

10abiofilm10aC10acyanobacteria10ahyporheic zone10aMCM LTER10amineralization10aN10aP biogeochemistry1 aKohler, Tyler, J.1 aSingley, Joel, G.1 aWlostowski, Adam1 aMcKnight, Diane, M. uhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10533-023-01069-0