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/31D94DD51E651603482A3AE6E8A52A5702771nas 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.1322302315nas a2200265 4500008004100000245009400041210006900135260001200204520148400216653001501700653001701715653002601732653001901758653001701777653001301794653002301807100002101830700002601851700002201877700002401899700002301923700002001946700002501966856005801991 2022 eng d00aIslands in the ice: Potential impacts of habitat transformation on Antarctic biodiversity0 aIslands in the ice Potential impacts of habitat transformation o c07/20223 a

Antarctic biodiversity faces an unknown future with a changing climate. Most terrestrial biota is restricted to limited patches of ice-free land in a sea of ice, where they are adapted to the continent's extreme cold and wind and exploit microhabitats of suitable conditions. As temperatures rise, ice-free areas are predicted to expand, more rapidly in some areas than others. There is high uncertainty as to how species' distributions, physiology, abundance, and survivorship will be affected as their habitats transform. Here we use current knowledge to propose hypotheses that ice-free area expansion (i) will increase habitat availability, though the quality of habitat will vary; (ii) will increase structural connectivity, although not necessarily increase opportunities for species establishment; (iii) combined with milder climates will increase likelihood of non-native species establishment, but may also lengthen activity windows for all species; and (iv) will benefit some species and not others, possibly resulting in increased homogeneity of biodiversity. We anticipate considerable spatial, temporal, and taxonomic variation in species responses, and a heightened need for interdisciplinary research to understand the factors associated with ecosystem resilience under future scenarios. Such research will help identify at-risk species or vulnerable localities and is crucial for informing environmental management and policymaking into the future.

10aAntarctica10abiodiversity10abiotic homogenization10aclimate change10aconnectivity10aice-free10anon-native species1 aLee, Jasmine, R.1 aWaterman, Melinda, J.1 aShaw, Justine, D.1 aBergstrom, Dana, M.1 aLynch, Heather, J.1 aWall, Diana, H.1 aRobinson, Sharon, A. uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.16331