Reactivation of a Cryptobiotic Stream Ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Long-term Geomorphological Experiment
The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica contain many glacial meltwater streams that flow for 6 to 12 weeks during the austral summer and link the glaciers to the lakes on the valley floors. Dry valley streams gain solutes longitudinally through weathering reactions and microbial processes occurring in...
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ftmissouriunivst:oai:scholarsmine.mst.edu:biosci_facwork-1005 2023-05-15T13:55:31+02:00 Reactivation of a Cryptobiotic Stream Ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Long-term Geomorphological Experiment Niyogi, Dev Cozetto, K. Welch, K. McKnight, Diane M. Tate, C. M. Andrews, E. D. Lyons, W. B. Capone, D. G. 2007-09-01T07:00:00Z https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/biosci_facwork/6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.07.025 unknown Scholars' Mine https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/biosci_facwork/6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.07.025 © 2006 Elsevier, All rights reserved. Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works Cyanobacteria Ecology -- Antarctica -- McMurdo Dry Valleys McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) Runoff Biology text 2007 ftmissouriunivst https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.07.025 2022-08-09T20:48:30Z The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica contain many glacial meltwater streams that flow for 6 to 12 weeks during the austral summer and link the glaciers to the lakes on the valley floors. Dry valley streams gain solutes longitudinally through weathering reactions and microbial processes occurring in the hyporheic zone. Some streams have thriving cyanobacterial mats. In streams with regular summer flow, the mats are freeze-dried through the winter and begin photosynthesizing with the onset of flow. To evaluate the longer term persistence of cyanobacterial mats, we diverted flow to an abandoned channel, which had not received substantial flow for approximately two decades. Monitoring of specific conductance showed that for the first 3 years after the diversion, the solute concentrations were greater in the reactivated channel than in most other dry valley streams. We observed that cyanobacterial mats became abundant in the reactivated channel within a week, indicating that the mats had been preserved in a cryptobiotic state in the channel. Over the next several years, these mats had high rates of productivity and nitrogen fixation compared to mats from other streams. Experiments in which mats from the reactivated channel and another stream were incubated in water from both of the streams indicated that the greater solute concentrations in the reactivated channel stimulated net primary productivity of mats from both streams. These stream-scale experimental results indicate that the cryptobiotic preservation of cyanobacterial mats in abandoned channels in the dry valleys allows for rapid response of these stream ecosystems to climatic and geomorphological change, similar to other arid zone stream ecosystems. Text Antarc* Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T): Scholars' Mine Austral McMurdo Dry Valleys Geomorphology 89 1-2 186 204 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T): Scholars' Mine |
op_collection_id |
ftmissouriunivst |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Cyanobacteria Ecology -- Antarctica -- McMurdo Dry Valleys McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) Runoff Biology |
spellingShingle |
Cyanobacteria Ecology -- Antarctica -- McMurdo Dry Valleys McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) Runoff Biology Niyogi, Dev Cozetto, K. Welch, K. McKnight, Diane M. Tate, C. M. Andrews, E. D. Lyons, W. B. Capone, D. G. Reactivation of a Cryptobiotic Stream Ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Long-term Geomorphological Experiment |
topic_facet |
Cyanobacteria Ecology -- Antarctica -- McMurdo Dry Valleys McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) Runoff Biology |
description |
The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica contain many glacial meltwater streams that flow for 6 to 12 weeks during the austral summer and link the glaciers to the lakes on the valley floors. Dry valley streams gain solutes longitudinally through weathering reactions and microbial processes occurring in the hyporheic zone. Some streams have thriving cyanobacterial mats. In streams with regular summer flow, the mats are freeze-dried through the winter and begin photosynthesizing with the onset of flow. To evaluate the longer term persistence of cyanobacterial mats, we diverted flow to an abandoned channel, which had not received substantial flow for approximately two decades. Monitoring of specific conductance showed that for the first 3 years after the diversion, the solute concentrations were greater in the reactivated channel than in most other dry valley streams. We observed that cyanobacterial mats became abundant in the reactivated channel within a week, indicating that the mats had been preserved in a cryptobiotic state in the channel. Over the next several years, these mats had high rates of productivity and nitrogen fixation compared to mats from other streams. Experiments in which mats from the reactivated channel and another stream were incubated in water from both of the streams indicated that the greater solute concentrations in the reactivated channel stimulated net primary productivity of mats from both streams. These stream-scale experimental results indicate that the cryptobiotic preservation of cyanobacterial mats in abandoned channels in the dry valleys allows for rapid response of these stream ecosystems to climatic and geomorphological change, similar to other arid zone stream ecosystems. |
format |
Text |
author |
Niyogi, Dev Cozetto, K. Welch, K. McKnight, Diane M. Tate, C. M. Andrews, E. D. Lyons, W. B. Capone, D. G. |
author_facet |
Niyogi, Dev Cozetto, K. Welch, K. McKnight, Diane M. Tate, C. M. Andrews, E. D. Lyons, W. B. Capone, D. G. |
author_sort |
Niyogi, Dev |
title |
Reactivation of a Cryptobiotic Stream Ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Long-term Geomorphological Experiment |
title_short |
Reactivation of a Cryptobiotic Stream Ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Long-term Geomorphological Experiment |
title_full |
Reactivation of a Cryptobiotic Stream Ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Long-term Geomorphological Experiment |
title_fullStr |
Reactivation of a Cryptobiotic Stream Ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Long-term Geomorphological Experiment |
title_full_unstemmed |
Reactivation of a Cryptobiotic Stream Ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Long-term Geomorphological Experiment |
title_sort |
reactivation of a cryptobiotic stream ecosystem in the mcmurdo dry valleys, antarctica: a long-term geomorphological experiment |
publisher |
Scholars' Mine |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/biosci_facwork/6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.07.025 |
geographic |
Austral McMurdo Dry Valleys |
geographic_facet |
Austral McMurdo Dry Valleys |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys |
op_source |
Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works |
op_relation |
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/biosci_facwork/6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.07.025 |
op_rights |
© 2006 Elsevier, All rights reserved. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.07.025 |
container_title |
Geomorphology |
container_volume |
89 |
container_issue |
1-2 |
container_start_page |
186 |
op_container_end_page |
204 |
_version_ |
1766262191574482944 |