A Community of Snow Algae on a Himalayan Glacier: Change of Algal Biomass and Community Structure with Altitude

Yoshimura, Yoshitaka; Kohshima, Shiro; Ohtani, Shuji

doi:10.2307/1551843

Cited by 88 publications

(131 citation statements)

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“…Similarly to other studies (Fujii et al 2010;Remias et al 2010), our data indicate a diverse algal community even though the snows seem to be visually dominated by a single taxon. The algae co-occur in great numbers within these discrete patches (estimates as high as ∼500,000 cell mL 21 ; Yoshimura et al 1997) but are rare in adjacent uncolonized snows (Brown et al 2015a). The microhabitat attributes that allow for the establishment of these discrete algal patches are not yet understood.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In combined snow and ice algal blooms, cell counts may reach as high as ∼500,000 cells mL 21 (Yoshimura et al 1997), but cell abundances within red-pigmented algal blooms solely within a snow matrix may be much lower (∼5000 cells mL 21 ; Fogg 1967). Although these algae-colonized snows can harbor diverse communities of algae (Fujii et al 2010;Remias et al 2010;Lutz et al 2015), the importance of the spatial structuring of these communities remains unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although these algae-colonized snows can harbor diverse communities of algae (Fujii et al 2010;Remias et al 2010;Lutz et al 2015), the importance of the spatial structuring of these communities remains unknown. Previous queries into the ecology of snow algae have been limited mainly to community composition (Yoshimura et al 1997;Takeuchi 2013). The increasing use of DNA meta-bar-coding tools has elucidated the hidden diversity of algae and presents an opportunity to integrate these new discoveries with traditional taxonomy (De Clerck et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Snow algae have been described as simple communities that consist of few species (Takeuchi 2001) and are generally considered to occur in closed ecosystems (Hoham and Duval 2001). Most biogeographic studies of snow algae focus on altitudinal gradients and demonstrate that these simple communities drastically differ in the altitudinal patterning of their cell abundances (Yoshimura et al 1997;Takeuchi 2001;Takeuchi and Kohshima 2004), suggesting that snow algae are strongly ordered by differences in ice pack structure even at a local scale. It is uncertain whether the observed differences between these snow algae result from geographic distance, differences in substrate quality, or subtle meteorolog-ical or topological differences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Community of Clones: Snow Algae Are Diverse Communities of Spatially Structured Clones

Brown

Ungerer

Jumpponen

2016

International Journal of Plant Sciences

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Premise of research. Snow algae are cosmopolitan and often colonize late-season snowpacks. These snow algae do not occur in isolation; rather, visible algal blooms consist of multispecies communities. Although several of these common snow algae have been characterized taxonomically, their inter-and intraspecific diversity remains unknown. Further, the phylogeographic and biogeographic structuring of snow algal species is poorly understood.Methodology. Algal communities were censused by sequencing the variable internal transcribed spacer 2 locus using Illumina MiSeq. We further analyzed two of the most common and abundant algal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) for biogeographic haplotype diversity.Pivotal results. Our data show that the communities are diverse and taxonomically broad (orders: Chlamydomonadales [74% of OTUs], Microthamniales [20% OTUs], and Chlorellales [6% OTUs]). We demonstrate that the two most common species (best nucleotide basic local alignment search tool match to Coenochloris sp. and Chlamydomonas sp.) have distinct haplotype distributions locally and regionally. Each sampled algal colony was dominated by one and only one haplotype, with negligible intraspecific haplotype diversity.Conclusions. Our results suggest that snow algae are communities of clones within a discrete patch yet are heterogeneous across the landscape. Thus, these communities are likely structured via strong priority effects, intense kin competition, and dispersal limitations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Community of Clones: Snow Algae Are Diverse Communities of Spatially Structured Clones

Brown

Ungerer

Jumpponen

2016

International Journal of Plant Sciences

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“…This is probably due to a relatively drier condition of the snow surface because of the higher elevation in this area. Since the conditions for algal growth are generally worse at higher elevations due to snow depth, lack of water, or both, [e.g., Yoshimura et al, 1997;Takeuchi, 2001], the appearance of red snow in this area is unlikely.…”

Section: Distribution and Abundance Of Snow Algae Derived From Spot Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial distribution and abundance of red snow algae on the Harding Icefield, Alaska derived from a satellite image

Takeuchi

Dial

Kohshima

et al. 2006

Geophysical Research Letters

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112

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[1] Red snow caused by algal bloom is common on glaciers and snowfields worldwide. Description of spatial distributions of snow algal blooms is important for understanding snow algae's unique life in an extremely cold environment and for determining the effect of algae through the reduction of surface albedo. Here we present the spatial distribution of red snow algae on the Harding Icefield, Alaska retrieved from a satellite image. Field observations on the icefield conducted in August 2001 revealed visible red snow, particularly near the snowline. Field measurements of spectral reflectance on the surface revealed the specific spectral absorption of algal pigments. We found a significant correlation between snow algal biomass and a reflectance ratio of SPOT (Satellite Probatoire d' Observation de la Terre) satellite band of wavelength 610 -680 nm to band 500-590 nm. Using this relationship between the reflectance ratio and algal biomass, we estimated the distribution and abundance of red snow across the icefield using a SPOT satellite image. The spatial distribution of red snow on the icefield obtained by mapping the reflectance ratio matched field observations across the icefield with more red algal blooms on the continental than the maritime side of the icefield. Area averaged mean carbon content estimated from the red algal biomass for the icefield on the image was 1.2 kg km À2 .

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Cold‐Adapted Microorganisms: Adaptation Strategies and Biotechnological Potential

Margesin

Feller

Gerday

et al. 2003

Encyclopedia of Environmental Microbiology

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A Community of Snow Algae on a Himalayan Glacier: Change of Algal Biomass and Community Structure with Altitude

Cited by 88 publications

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A Community of Clones: Snow Algae Are Diverse Communities of Spatially Structured Clones

A Community of Clones: Snow Algae Are Diverse Communities of Spatially Structured Clones

Spatial distribution and abundance of red snow algae on the Harding Icefield, Alaska derived from a satellite image

Cold‐Adapted Microorganisms: Adaptation Strategies and Biotechnological Potential

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