03078nas a2200241 4500008004100000022001300041245011000054210006900164260001200233300001100245490000800256520229200264653002502556653002602581653002802607653002502635653002702660653001802687100001302705700002502718700002102743856007202764 2024 eng d a0929139300aAn Antarctic worm and its soil ecosystem: A review of an emerging research program in ecological genomics0 aAntarctic worm and its soil ecosystem A review of an emerging re c01/2024 a1051100 v1933 a

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.

10aecological amplitude10aecological succession10aelemental stoichiometry10aextreme environments10alife history evolution10amodel systems1 aXue, Xia1 aThompson, Andrew, R.1 aAdams, Byron, J. uhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092913932300308602136nas a2200205 4500008004100000245007300041210007100114260001200185520148400197653001901681653001901700653002301719653001701742653002601759653002301785653002001808100002701828700001701855856005801872 2022 eng d00aCommunity assembly in the wake of glacial retreat: A meta‐analysis0 aCommunity assembly in the wake of glacial retreat A meta‐analysi c09/20223 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.

10achronosequence10aclimate change10acommunity assembly10adeglaciation10aecological succession10aglacial forefields10asoil ecosystems1 aPothula, Satyendra, K.1 aAdams, Byron uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.16427