IEDA
Dataset Information
The Role of Snow Patches on the Spatial Distribution of Soil Microbial Communities and Biogeochemical Cycling in the Antarctic Dry Valleys
Data DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15784/600100
Cite as
Gooseff, M. N. (2013) "The Role of Snow Patches on the Spatial Distribution of Soil Microbial Communities and Biogeochemical Cycling in the Antarctic Dry Valleys" U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Data Center. doi: https://doi.org/10.15784/600100.
AMD - DIF Record(s)
Abstract
Two models have been proposed to describe controls over microbial biogeography. One model proposes that microbes are ubiquitously distributed across the global environment, and that environmental conditions select for taxa physiologically adapted to local physical conditions. An alternative model predicts that dispersal is the important limitation to the distribution of microorganisms and that spatial heterogeneity of microbial communities is a result of both dispersal and local environmental limitations. According to both models, spatial heterogeneity of microbial communities may be especially pronounced in extreme ecosystems where the environmental selection for organisms with suitable physiology is most strongly manifest. We propose that Antarctic terrestrial environments are ideal places to examine microbial biogeography for 3 reasons: 1) the pristine nature and remoteness of Antarctica minimizes the prevalence of exotic species dispersed through human vectors; 2) the extreme conditions of Antarctic environments provide a strong environmental filter which limits the establishment of non-indigenous taxa; and 3) extreme heterogeneity in the terrestrial environment provides natural gradients of soil conditions (temperature, water and nutrient availability). In the proposed research we will investigate the influence of snow on the composition and spatial distribution of soil microbial communities and linked biogeochemical cycling in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. We will conduct fieldwork at the landscape scale (repeated remote sensing to characterize snow distribution), at the valley and patch scales (quantify snow patch ablation, microbial communities and biogeochemical cycling in subnivian soils). We hypothesize that snow patches play an important role in structuring the spatial distribution of soil microbial communities and their associated ecosystem functioning because of the physical and hydrological influences that snow patches have on the soil environment. The research will contribute to greater public awareness of the importance of polar research to fundamental questions of biology, ecology and hydrology through direct linkages with International Antarctic Institute public outreach activities, including dissemination of web-based learning units on environmental science and microbiology, targeted as resources for secondary and post-secondary educators. Three graduate students, one postdoctoral scholar and multiple undergraduates will participate in the research activities.
Creator(s):
Date Created:
2013-01-01
Repository:
USAP-DC (current) - LDEO-LEGACY (original)
Spatial Extent(s)
West: -163.3, East: -162.32, South: -77.73, North: -77.62
Temporal Extent(s)
Start: 2009-08-15 - End: 2013-07-31
Award(s)
Version:
1
Data Files

Selected:
0 B

Select All
Download
122.5 kB
 

MD5 Checksum: 991985006412cf6c9672fa1521b7003c File Type: Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)

Download
2.7 kB
 

MD5 Checksum: 14d7224fca3f24a97fa97e03d5b3aa42 File Type: HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

Download
14.3 MB
 

MD5 Checksum: a1953b2192aa1c51bf8a58db6de96db7 File Type: Microsoft Excel (OpenXML)

Download
14.6 MB
 

MD5 Checksum: 871534380d97c3747f57cd8d359e6e12 File Type: Microsoft Excel (OpenXML)

Download
14.8 MB
 

MD5 Checksum: 435b7aaf4bba606d5bc1dedd87bf3b12 File Type: Microsoft Excel (OpenXML)

Download
1.3 MB
 

MD5 Checksum: a51cb4fff9a08eee36d9aea58d388b17 File Type: Microsoft Excel

Download
153.1 kB
 

MD5 Checksum: db8c592b0a99588a2c87d08ca1cced4a File Type: Microsoft Excel

Download
2.1 MB
 

MD5 Checksum: 4e3c760ecb870d465eb5f70a9b381a86 File Type: Microsoft Excel

Download
59.7 kB
 

MD5 Checksum: bd9766c35e0e293bfc13f2ccd3cc4111 File Type: Microsoft Excel (OpenXML)

This dataset has been downloaded 0 times since March 2017 (based on unique date-IP combinations)