Cardiff University | Prifysgol Caerdydd ORCA
Online Research @ Cardiff 
WelshClear Cookie - decide language by browser settings

Environmental factors influencing diatom communities in Antarctic cryoconite holes

Stanish, L. F., Bagshaw, Elizabeth ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8392-1750, McKnight, D. M., Fountain, A. G. and Tranter, M. 2013. Environmental factors influencing diatom communities in Antarctic cryoconite holes. Environmental Research Letters 8 (4) , 045006. 10.1088/1748-9326/8/4/045006

[thumbnail of BAGSHAW environmental factors influencing diatom communities in Antractic cryoconite holes.pdf]
Preview
PDF
Download (1MB) | Preview

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, Muelleria and 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.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Publication
Status: Published
Schools: Earth and Environmental Sciences
Additional Information: Pdf uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s policy at tp://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/1748-9326/ (accessed 19/12/2014)
Publisher: Institute of Physics
ISSN: 1748-9326
Last Modified: 23 May 2023 14:56
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/63001

Citation Data

Cited 35 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item Edit Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics