Sponsor
Research was funded by NSF grants ANT-0423595 and OPP-0096250 to the MCMLTER and NERC studentship NER/S/A/2005/13257 (EB)
Published In
Environmental Research Letters
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-8-2013
Subjects
Cryoconite holes -- Antarctica -- McMurdo Dry Valleys, Glaciers -- Ecological aspects, Diatoms -- Antarctic Regions
Abstract
Cryoconite holes are ice-bound habitats that can act as refuges for aquatic and terrestrial microorganisms on glacier surfaces. In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, these holes are often capped by an ice lid that prevents the exchange of material and gases with the surrounding atmosphere and aquatic environment. Diatoms have been documented in cryoconite holes, and recent findings suggest that these habitats may harbour a distinctive diatom flora compared to the surrounding aquatic environments. In this study, we examined diatom community composition in cryoconite holes and environmental correlates across three glaciers in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. The diatom communities were dominated by two genera, Muelleriaand Diadesmis, both of which had high viability and could have been seeded from the surrounding ephemeral streams. The location of the cryoconite hole within the valley was a key determinant of community composition. A diatom species richness gradient was observed that corresponded to distance inland from the coast and co-varied with species richness in streams within the same lake basin. Cryoconite holes that were adjacent to streams with higher diversity displayed greater species richness. However, physical factors, such as the ability to withstand freeze–thaw conditions and to colonize coarse sediments, acted as additional selective filters and influenced diatom diversity, viability and community composition.
DOI
10.1088/1748-9326/8/4/045006
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/12267
Citation Details
Stanish, L. F., Bagshaw, E. A., McKnight, D. M., Fountain, A. G., & Tranter, M. (2013). Environmental factors influencing diatom communities in Antarctic cryoconite holes. Environmental Research Letters, 8(4), 045006.
Included in
Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons, Other Earth Sciences Commons, Other Environmental Sciences Commons
Description
Copyright 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.
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