02771nas a2200325 4500008004100000022001400041245013500055210006900190260001200259300001000271490000700281520179400288653001302082653001302095653001002108653001302118653002002131653001702151653001702168653003102185100002602216700001902242700002002261700002102281700001802302700002202320700002102342700002402363856005802387 2022 eng d a0022-364600aBlowin’ in the wind: Dispersal, structure, and metacommunity dynamics of aeolian diatoms in the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica0 aBlowin in the wind Dispersal structure and metacommunity dynamic c02/2022 a36-540 v583 a

Diatom metacommunities are structured by environmental, historical, and spatial factors that are often attributed to organism dispersal. In the McMurdo Sound region (MSR) of Antarctica, wind connects aquatic habitats through delivery of inorganic and organic matter. We evaluated the dispersal of diatoms in aeolian material and its relation to the regional diatom metacommunity using light microscopy and 18S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The concentration of diatoms ranged from 0 to 8.76 * 106 valves · g-1 dry aeolian material. Up to 15% of whole cells contained visible protoplasm, indicating that up to 3.43 * 104 potentially viable individuals could be dispersed in a year to a single 2 cm2 site. Diatom DNA and RNA was detected at each site, reinforcing the likelihood that we observed dispersal of viable diatoms. Of the 50 known morphospecies in the MSR, 72% were identified from aeolian material using microscopy. Aeolian community composition varied primarily by site. Meanwhile, each aeolian community was comprised of morphospecies found in aquatic communities from the same lake basin. These results suggest that aeolian diatom dispersal in the MSR is spatially structured, is predominantly local, and connects local aquatic habitats via a shared species pool. Nonetheless, aeolian community structure was distinct from that of aquatic communities, indicating that intrahabitat dispersal and environmental filtering also underlie diatom metacommunity dynamics. The present study confirms that a large number of diatoms are passively dispersed by wind across a landscape characterized by aeolian processes, integrating the regional flora and contributing to metacommunity structure and landscape connectivity.

10a18S rRNA10aairborne10aalgae10aassembly10aBacillariophyta10abiogeography10aconnectivity10ahigh-throughput sequencing1 aSchulte, Nicholas, O.1 aKhan, Alia, L.1 aSmith, Emma, W.1 aZoumplis, Angela1 aKaul, Drishti1 aAllen, Andrew, E.1 aAdams, Byron, J.1 aMcKnight, Diane, M. uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpy.1322302753nas a2200325 4500008004100000022001400041245011500055210007300170260001200243300001800255490000800273520178400281653001002065653001402075653001602089653000802105653001002113653001002123653001402133653001102147100002802158700002102186700003302207700002202240700002202262700002402284700002902308700002102337856006902358 2021 eng d a2169-895300aYear‐round and long‐term phytoplankton dynamics in Lake Bonney, a permanently ice‐covered Antarctic lake0 aYear‐round and long‐term phytoplankton dynamics in Lake Bonney a c04/2021 ae2020JG0059250 v1263 a

Lake Bonney (McMurdo Dry Valleys, east Antarctica) represents a year‐round refugium for life adapted to permanent extreme conditions. Despite intensive research since the 1960s, due to the logistical constraints posed by 4‐months of 24‐h darkness, knowledge of how the resident photosynthetic microorganisms respond to the polar winter is limited. In addition, the lake level has risen by more than 3 m since 2004: impacts of rapid lake level rise on phytoplankton community structure is also poorly understood. From 2004 to 2015 an in situ submersible spectrofluorometer (bbe FluoroProbe) was deployed in Lake Bonney during the austral summer to quantify the vertical structure of four functional algal groups (green algae, mixed algae, and cryptophytes, cyanobacteria). During the 2013–2014 field season the Fluoroprobe was mounted on autonomous cable‐crawling profilers deployed in both the east and west lobes of Lake Bonney, obtaining the first daily phytoplankton profiles through the polar night. Our findings showed that phytoplankton communities were differentially impacted by physical and chemical factors over long‐term versus seasonal time scales. Following a summer of rapid lake level rise (2010–2011), an increase in depth integrated chlorophyll a (chl‐a) occurred in Lake Bonney caused by stimulation of photoautotrophic green algae. Conversely, peaks in chl‐a during the polar night were associated with an increase in mixotrophic haptophytes and cryptophytes. Collectively our data reveal that phytoplankton groups possessing variable trophic abilities are differentially competitive during seasonal and long‐term time scales owing to periods of higher nutrients (photoautotrophs) versus light/energy limitation (mixotrophs).

10aalgae10aAntarctic10afluorometry10aice10alakes10alight10aprofiling10awinter1 aPatriarche, Jeffrey, D.1 aPriscu, John, C.1 aTakacs-Vesbach, Cristina, D.1 aWinslow, Luke, A.1 aMyers, Krista, F.1 aBuelow, Heather, N.1 aMorgan-Kiss, Rachael, M.1 aDoran, Peter, T. uhttps://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020JG00592503380nas a2200205 4500008004100000245009700041210006900138260005400207490001000261520267200271653001002943653001402953653002902967653002202996653002603018653003203044100002603076700002403102856004803126 2020 eng d00aCharacterization of spatial and environmental influences on stream diatoms and cyanobacteria0 aCharacterization of spatial and environmental influences on stre aBoulder, CObUniversity of Colorado Boulderc20200 vPh.D.3 a

Primary producing algae form the basis of carbon fixation, oxygen production, and food webs in aquatic ecosystems globally. However, human activities disrupt climate and freshwater physicochemistry. These impacts alter the health of algal communities and the ecosystem services algae provide. Meanwhile, spatial processes like dispersal and landscape characteristics like geology also influence algal structure and function. Diatoms are indicators of stream health and are model organisms for understanding the processes underlying microbial biogeography. Benthic cyanobacteria present risks to human health through the proliferation of toxin-producing blooms. With this dissertation, I investigate the ecosystem processes that influence diatom and cyanobacterial community composition and taxon distributions. My goal is to advance the understanding of ecosystem controls on algal biogeography and to characterize taxon-specific autecology for use in environmental management. First, I measured the extent of wind-mediated dispersal of benthic diatoms across aquatic habitats to better understand how community composition is structured by spatial processes across the McMurdo Dry Valleys polar desert in Antarctica. I found that inter-habitat dispersal is common but less influential on community composition than intra-habitat factors such as environmental conditions. I then used non-linear, multivariable modeling to assess the relative influences of climate, watershed characteristics, and in-stream stressors on the relative abundances of 268 diatom taxa across gradients of human impact in the northeast United States. My results indicate diatom taxa are affected by different suites of environmental conditions but that taxa belong to ecological guilds based on shared responsiveness to environmental factors. Finally, I applied multivariable modeling towards understanding the effects of aquatic stressors, including herbicides and persistent organic pollutants, on the distributions of benthic cyanobacteria across northeast U.S. streams. I found that watershed characteristics, streamflow, and herbicides were more influential than light availability, water temperature, and nutrients on the distributions of potentially toxigenic cyanobacterial genera. Collectively, this research expands the knowledge of how benthic algal communities and taxon distributions are structured at large spatial scales along gradients of unimpacted and human-altered environmental conditions. I provide a novel modeling framework and taxon-specific autecological information that can be applied to environmental assessments of stream health and future algal research.

10aalgae10adispersal10aenvironmental assessment10ahuman disturbance10ametacommunity ecology10aspecies distribution models1 aSchulte, Nicholas, O.1 aMcKnight, Diane, M. uhttps://www.proquest.com/docview/247621626302158nas a2200229 4500008004100000245010300041210006900144260003900213490000900252520137700261653001001638653002801648653003801676653002401714653001901738653001801757653002301775653001601798100001601814700002901830856006901859 2019 eng d00aImpact of simulated polar night on Antarctic mixotrophic and strict photoautotrophic phytoplankton0 aImpact of simulated polar night on Antarctic mixotrophic and str aOxford, OHbMiami Universityc20180 vM.S.3 a

Phytoplankton in polar regions experience long periods of continuous darkness annually during the polar night. Due to difficulties in performing field work during this period, it is largely unknown how phytoplankton endure this extreme transition from 24-hour daylight in the fall to several months of total darkness in the austral winter. The primary goal of this study was to compare physiological and photosynthetic responses of several Antarctic phytoplankton of variable trophic abilities (pure photosynthetic vs. mixotrophic) to simulated polar night conditions, including the transition seasons before and after winter. Two distinct responses were observed to extended darkness: (1) strict photoautotrophs (Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-MDV and Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241) exhibited functional downregulation their photosynthetic processes in the winter, followed by a lag phase of several days during mimicked spring, and (2) mixotrophs (Isochrysis sp. MDV and Geminigera cryophila) maintained functional photosynthetic apparatus, increased heterotrophy through the winter, and exhibited immediate growth upon return to light incubation. These differing responses to mimicked polar night conditions could represent two different strategies for surviving the long period of darkness in the phytoplankton’s natural environment.

10aalgae10aAntarctic phytoplankton10achlorophyll fluorescence analysis10aMcMurdo Dry Valleys10aPhotosynthesis10aphytoplankton10apolar microbiology10apolar night1 aCariani, ZE1 aMorgan-Kiss, Rachael, M. uhttp://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami154720459996908103401nas a2200241 4500008004100000245013400041210006900175260004000244300000800284490001000292520259800302653001002900653001502910653002402925653001902949653001602968653001902984653002403003653001903027100002203046700002403068856006703092 2015 eng d00aPhysical and chemical controls on the abundance and composition of stream microbial mats from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica0 aPhysical and chemical controls on the abundance and composition  aBoulder, CObUniversity of Colorado a2720 vPh.D.3 a

 

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are a cold, dry desert, yet perennial microbial mats are abundant in the ephemeral glacial meltwater streams that flow during austral summers. Three types of mats are present (orange, black, and green), and are primarily comprised of filamentous cyanobacteria, Nostoc, and chlorophytes, respectively. Mat types furthermore occupy distinct habitats within streams, utilizing the benthos, hyporheic zone, and water column, which expose them to different environmental conditions. Due to a lack of lateral inflows, allochthonous organic inputs, and negligible grazing activity, these streams are ideal for the controlled ecological study of microbial mats. Here, I investigated how mats will respond to physical disturbance, alterations in the hydrologic regime, and nutrient liberation from permafrost melt in the future. Specifically, I: 1) quantified and characterized the regrowth of mat biomass, community structure, and elemental stoichiometry after a scouring disturbance, 2) investigated how geomorphology and taxonomic identity influences the response of mat biomass to hydrologic regime in transects monitored over two decades, and 3) evaluated relationships between water chemistry and the elemental and isotopic composition of mat types over longitudinal and valley-wide gradients in Taylor Valley. I found that mats recovered ~20-50% of their biomass over the course of an austral summer following scour. Algal communities were significantly different in composition between disturbed and control treatments, but all samples naturally varied in species and elemental stoichiometry over the study period. When the long- term record of mat biomass was compared with hydrologic variables, stream channel mats (orange and green) had the greatest correlations, while marginal mats (black) showed weaker relationships with flow regime. Relationships also differed as a function of stream geomorphology, indicating the importance of substrata and gradient in conjunction with discharge. Lastly, mats showed unique elemental and isotopic compositions. Green and orange mats within the stream channel most reflected water column nutrient concentrations, while black mats showed significant nitrogen fixation. These results highlight the importance of taxonomic identity and habitat to modeling primary production here and elsewhere, and provide insight to how stream microbial mat communities are formed, maintained, and ultimately persist in an isolated polar desert.

 

10aalgae10aAntarctica10abiological sciences10aclimate change10aDisturbance10aearth sciences10aMcMurdo Dry Valleys10amicrobial mats1 aKohler, Tyler, J.1 aMcKnight, Diane, M. uhttps://search.proquest.com/docview/1690497718?accountid=14503