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/31D94DD51E651603482A3AE6E8A52A5703274nas a2200313 4500008004100000245011700041210006900158260001200227300001100239490000700250520227300257653001502530653002502545653001802570653002702588653002802615653002302643653001902666100002202685700002802707700002302735700002302758700002502781700002202806700002202828700001502850700002302865856007202888 2022 eng d00aLipid biomarkers from microbial mats on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica: Signatures for life in the cryosphere0 aLipid biomarkers from microbial mats on the McMurdo Ice Shelf An c06/2022 a9036210 v133 a

Persistent cold temperatures, a paucity of nutrients, freeze-thaw cycles, and the strongly seasonal light regime make Antarctica one of Earth’s least hospitable surface environments for complex life. Cyanobacteria, however, are well-adapted to such conditions and are often the dominant primary producers in Antarctic inland water environments. In particular, the network of meltwater ponds on the ‘dirty ice’ of the McMurdo Ice Shelf is an ecosystem with extensive cyanobacteria-dominated microbial mat accumulations. This study investigated intact polar lipids (IPLs), heterocyte glycolipids (HGs), and bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs) in combination with 16S and 18S rRNA gene diversity in microbial mats of twelve ponds in this unique polar ecosystem. To constrain the effects of nutrient availability, temperature and freeze-thaw cycles on the lipid membrane composition, lipids were compared to stromatolite-forming cyanobacterial mats from ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys as well as from (sub)tropical regions and hot springs. The 16S rRNA gene compositions of the McMurdo Ice Shelf mats confirm the dominance of Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria while the 18S rRNA gene composition indicates the presence of Ochrophyta, Chlorophyta, Ciliophora, and other microfauna. IPL analyses revealed a predominantly bacterial community in the meltwater ponds, with archaeal lipids being barely detectable. IPLs are dominated by glycolipids and phospholipids, followed by aminolipids. The high abundance of sugar-bound lipids accords with a predominance of cyanobacterial primary producers. The phosphate-limited samples from the (sub)tropical, hot spring, and Lake Vanda sites revealed a higher abundance of aminolipids compared to those of the nitrogen-limited meltwater ponds, affirming the direct affects that N and P availability have on IPL compositions. The high abundance of polyunsaturated IPLs in the Antarctic microbial mats suggests that these lipids provide an important mechanism to maintain membrane fluidity in cold environments. High abundances of HG keto-ols and HG keto-diols, produced by heterocytous cyanobacteria, further support these findings and reveal a unique distribution compared to those from warmer climates.

10aAntarctica10abacteriohopanepolyol10acyanobacteria10aheterocyte glycolipids10ahomeoviscous adaptation10aintact polar lipid10amicrobial mats1 aEvans, Thomas, W.1 aKalambokidis, Maria, J.1 aJungblut, Anne, D.1 aMillar, Jasmin, L.1 aBauersachs, Thorsten1 aGrotheer, Hendrik1 aMackey, Tyler, J.1 aHawes, Ian1 aSummons, Roger, E. uhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.903621/full03401nas 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