Functional ecology of an Antarctic Dry Valley
The McMurdo Dry Valleys are the largest ice-free region in Antarctica and are critically at risk from climate change. The terrestrial landscape is dominated by oligotrophic mineral soils and extensive exposed rocky surfaces where biota are largely restricted to microbial communities, although their...
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ftunivwaikato:oai:researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz:10289/7768 2024-02-11T09:58:41+01:00 Functional ecology of an Antarctic Dry Valley Chan, Yuki Van Nostrand, Joy D. Zhou, Jizhong Pointing, Stephen B. Farrell, Roberta L. 2013 https://hdl.handle.net/10289/7768 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1300643110 en eng National Academy of Sciences Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences http://www.pnas.org/content/110/22/8990.abstract Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Chan, Y., Van Nostrand, J. D., Zhou, J., Pointing, S. B., & Farrell, R. L. (2013). Functional ecology of an Antarctic Dry Valley. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(22), 8990-8995. https://hdl.handle.net/10289/7768 doi:10.1073/pnas.1300643110 Journal Article 2013 ftunivwaikato https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1300643110 2024-01-23T18:25:23Z The McMurdo Dry Valleys are the largest ice-free region in Antarctica and are critically at risk from climate change. The terrestrial landscape is dominated by oligotrophic mineral soils and extensive exposed rocky surfaces where biota are largely restricted to microbial communities, although their ability to perform the majority of geobiological processes has remained largely uncharacterized. Here, we identified functional traits that drive microbial survival and community assembly, using a metagenomic approach with GeoChip-based functional gene arrays to establish metabolic capabilities in communities inhabiting soil and rock surface niches in McKelvey Valley. Major pathways in primary metabolism were identified, indicating significant plasticity in autotrophic, heterotrophic, and diazotrophic strategies supporting microbial communities. This represents a major advance beyond biodiversity surveys in that we have now identified how putative functional ecology drives microbial community assembly. Significant differences were apparent between open soil, hypolithic, chasmoendolithic, and cryptoendolithic communities. A suite of previously unappreciated Antarctic microbial stress response pathways, thermal, osmotic, and nutrient limitation responses were identified and related to environmental stressors, offering tangible clues to the mechanisms behind the enduring success of microorganisms in this seemingly inhospitable terrain. Rocky substrates exposed to larger fluctuations in environmental stress supported greater functional diversity in stress-response pathways than soils. Soils comprised a unique reservoir of genes involved in transformation of organic hydrocarbons and lignin-like degradative pathways. This has major implications for the evolutionary origin of the organisms, turnover of recalcitrant substrates in Antarctic soils, and predicting future responses to anthropogenic pollution. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys The University of Waikato: Research Commons Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys McKelvey ENVELOPE(-87.300,-87.300,-85.350,-85.350) McKelvey Valley ENVELOPE(161.550,161.550,-77.433,-77.433) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110 22 8990 8995 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The University of Waikato: Research Commons |
op_collection_id |
ftunivwaikato |
language |
English |
description |
The McMurdo Dry Valleys are the largest ice-free region in Antarctica and are critically at risk from climate change. The terrestrial landscape is dominated by oligotrophic mineral soils and extensive exposed rocky surfaces where biota are largely restricted to microbial communities, although their ability to perform the majority of geobiological processes has remained largely uncharacterized. Here, we identified functional traits that drive microbial survival and community assembly, using a metagenomic approach with GeoChip-based functional gene arrays to establish metabolic capabilities in communities inhabiting soil and rock surface niches in McKelvey Valley. Major pathways in primary metabolism were identified, indicating significant plasticity in autotrophic, heterotrophic, and diazotrophic strategies supporting microbial communities. This represents a major advance beyond biodiversity surveys in that we have now identified how putative functional ecology drives microbial community assembly. Significant differences were apparent between open soil, hypolithic, chasmoendolithic, and cryptoendolithic communities. A suite of previously unappreciated Antarctic microbial stress response pathways, thermal, osmotic, and nutrient limitation responses were identified and related to environmental stressors, offering tangible clues to the mechanisms behind the enduring success of microorganisms in this seemingly inhospitable terrain. Rocky substrates exposed to larger fluctuations in environmental stress supported greater functional diversity in stress-response pathways than soils. Soils comprised a unique reservoir of genes involved in transformation of organic hydrocarbons and lignin-like degradative pathways. This has major implications for the evolutionary origin of the organisms, turnover of recalcitrant substrates in Antarctic soils, and predicting future responses to anthropogenic pollution. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Chan, Yuki Van Nostrand, Joy D. Zhou, Jizhong Pointing, Stephen B. Farrell, Roberta L. |
spellingShingle |
Chan, Yuki Van Nostrand, Joy D. Zhou, Jizhong Pointing, Stephen B. Farrell, Roberta L. Functional ecology of an Antarctic Dry Valley |
author_facet |
Chan, Yuki Van Nostrand, Joy D. Zhou, Jizhong Pointing, Stephen B. Farrell, Roberta L. |
author_sort |
Chan, Yuki |
title |
Functional ecology of an Antarctic Dry Valley |
title_short |
Functional ecology of an Antarctic Dry Valley |
title_full |
Functional ecology of an Antarctic Dry Valley |
title_fullStr |
Functional ecology of an Antarctic Dry Valley |
title_full_unstemmed |
Functional ecology of an Antarctic Dry Valley |
title_sort |
functional ecology of an antarctic dry valley |
publisher |
National Academy of Sciences |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10289/7768 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1300643110 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-87.300,-87.300,-85.350,-85.350) ENVELOPE(161.550,161.550,-77.433,-77.433) |
geographic |
Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys McKelvey McKelvey Valley |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys McKelvey McKelvey Valley |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys |
op_relation |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences http://www.pnas.org/content/110/22/8990.abstract Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Chan, Y., Van Nostrand, J. D., Zhou, J., Pointing, S. B., & Farrell, R. L. (2013). Functional ecology of an Antarctic Dry Valley. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(22), 8990-8995. https://hdl.handle.net/10289/7768 doi:10.1073/pnas.1300643110 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1300643110 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
container_volume |
110 |
container_issue |
22 |
container_start_page |
8990 |
op_container_end_page |
8995 |
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1790594412586205184 |