Diverse hypolithic refuge communities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys

• Published in: Antarctic Science
• Main Authors: Cowan, Don A., Khan, Nuraan, Pointing, Stephen B., Cary, S. Craig
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2010
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctic Science; McMurdo Dry Valleys
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102010000507; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102010000507

Abstract Hyper-arid deserts present extreme challenges to life. The environmental buffering provided by quartz and other translucent rocks allows hypolithic microbial communities to develop on sub-soil surfaces of such rocks. These refuge communities have been reported, for many locations worldwide, to be predominantly cyanobacterial in nature. Here we report the discovery in Antarctica’s hyper-arid McMurdo Dry Valleys of three clearly distinguishable types of hypolithic community. Based on gross colonization morphology and identification of dominant taxa, we have classified hypolithic communities as Type I (cyanobacterial dominated), Type II (fungal dominated) and Type III (moss dominated). This discovery supports a growing awareness of the high biocomplexity in Antarctic deserts, emphasizes the possible importance of cryptic microbial communities in nutrient cycling and provides evidence for possible successional community processes within a cold arid landscape.