Evaluating Alternative Metacommunity Hypotheses for Diatoms in the McMurdo Dry Valleys Using Simulations and Remote Sensing Data

Sokol, Eric R.; Barrett, John E.; Kohler, Tyler J.; McKnight, Diane M.; Salvatore, M. R.; Stanish, Lee F.

doi:10.3389/fevo.2020.521668

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 64 publications

(150 reference statements)

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“…Simulations of diatom metacommunity structure in the MDVs have resulted in high‐performing scenarios when high interhabitat dispersal is considered (Sokol et al. 2020). Incorporating observed community and species‐specific dispersal rates into simulations could improve metacommunity assembly models and lead to better predictions of biodiversity outcomes with environmental disturbance (Sokol et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to environmental factors, simulations on a stream diatom metacommunity in the MDVs suggest that in‐stream drift and interhabitat dispersal are needed to explain observed metacommunity structure (Sokol et al. 2020). Additionally, diatom composition in glacier cryoconite holes in the MDVs is most closely associated with spatial factors such as distance to streams and lakes—implicating aeolian dispersal as a main driver of cryoconite hole composition (Stanish et al.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Blowin’ in the wind: Dispersal, structure, and metacommunity dynamics of aeolian diatoms in the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica

Schulte

Khan

Smith

et al. 2021

Journal of Phycology

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Diatom metacommunities are structured by environmental, historical, and spatial factors that are often attributed to organism dispersal. In the McMurdo Sound region (MSR) of Antarctica, wind connects aquatic habitats through delivery of inorganic and organic matter. We evaluated the dispersal of diatoms in aeolian material and its relation to the regional diatom metacommunity using light microscopy and 18S rRNA high‐throughput sequencing. The concentration of diatoms ranged from 0 to 8.76 * 106 valves · g−1 dry aeolian material. Up to 15% of whole cells contained visible protoplasm, indicating that up to 3.43 * 104 potentially viable individuals could be dispersed in a year to a single 2 ‐cm2 site. Diatom DNA and RNA was detected at each site, reinforcing the likelihood that we observed dispersal of viable diatoms. Of the 50 known morphospecies in the MSR, 72% were identified from aeolian material using microscopy. Aeolian community composition varied primarily by site. Meanwhile, each aeolian community was comprised of morphospecies found in aquatic communities from the same lake basin. These results suggest that aeolian diatom dispersal in the MSR is spatially structured, is predominantly local, and connects local aquatic habitats via a shared species pool. Nonetheless, aeolian community structure was distinct from that of aquatic communities, indicating that intrahabitat dispersal and environmental filtering also underlie diatom metacommunity dynamics. The present study confirms that a large number of diatoms are passively dispersed by wind across a landscape characterized by aeolian processes, integrating the regional flora and contributing to metacommunity structure and landscape connectivity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Blowin’ in the wind: Dispersal, structure, and metacommunity dynamics of aeolian diatoms in the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica

Schulte

Khan

Smith

et al. 2021

Journal of Phycology

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“…Firstly, this means of dispersal relocates a large number of cells directly to the target area (i.e., cells are already delivered to the ‘right’ place), and secondly, these relocated cells are also likely to be of higher viability than those aerially transported in the lower atmosphere (e.g., Schulte et al, 2022 found a maximum of up to 15% of cells to have visible protoplasm material). As POM is deposited on the streambed and resuspended in subsequent flow pulses, mats thus receive a continuous re-supply of diatoms required to support and maintain the stream mat diversity ( Sokol et al, 2020 ). However, it is possible that the downstream flux of diatoms could potentially lead to homogenizing diatom community structure through ‘mass effects’ (when dispersal effects outweigh other assembly mechanisms like competition and environmental selection; Leibold et al, 2004 ), placing great ecological importance on upstream reaches.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…MDV microbial mats and sediments host a well-described flora of about 50 diatom species, many of which are endemic to Antarctica ( Esposito et al, 2008 ; Kohler et al, 2015b ; Sakaeva et al, 2016 ; Kociolek et al, 2017 ). Diatom communities here are structured by physical processes, including intra-and inter-annual hydrology ( Esposito et al, 2006 ; Stanish et al, 2011 , 2012 ; Kohler et al, 2015a ), as well as historical processes such as dispersal ( Sakaeva et al, 2016 ; Sokol et al, 2020 ; Schulte et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, MDV diatom species seem to have preferences for some mat types over others ( Schulte et al, 2022 ) which makes it possible to use diatoms as tracers for the mobilization of different mat types.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drifting along: using diatoms to track the contribution of microbial mats to particulate organic matter transport in a glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Stanish,

Kohler,

Darling

et al. 2024

Front. Microbiol.

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Flow pulses mobilize particulate organic matter (POM) in streams from the surrounding landscape and streambed. This POM serves as a source of energy and nutrients, as well as a means for organismal dispersal, to downstream communities. In the barren terrestrial landscape of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica, benthic microbial mats occupying different in-stream habitat types are the dominant POM source in the many glacier-fed streams. Many of these streams experience daily flow peaks that mobilize POM, and diatoms recovered from underlying stream sediments suggest that mat-derived diatoms in the POM are retained there through hyporheic exchange. Yet, ‘how much’ and ‘when’ different in-stream habitat types contribute to POM diatom assemblages is unknown. To quantify the contribution of different in-stream habitat types to POM diatom assemblages, we collected time-integrated POM samples over four diel experiments, which spanned a gradient of flow conditions over three summers. Diatoms from POM samples were identified, quantified, and compared with dominant habitat types (i.e., benthic ‘orange’ mats, marginal ‘black’ mats, and bare sediments). Like bulk POM, diatom cell concentrations followed a clockwise hysteresis pattern with stream discharge over the daily flow cycles, indicating supply limitation. Diatom community analyses showed that different habitat types harbor distinct diatom communities, and mixing models revealed that a substantial proportion of POM diatoms originated from bare sediments during baseflow conditions. Meanwhile, orange and black mats contribute diatoms to POM primarily during daily flow peaks when both cell concentrations and discharge are highest, making mats the most important contributors to POM diatom assemblages at high flows. These observations may help explain the presence of mat-derived diatoms in hyporheic sediments. Our results thus indicate a varying importance of different in-stream habitats to POM generation and export on daily to seasonal timescales, with implications for biogeochemical cycling and the local diatom metacommunity.

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Deterministic and Stochastic Effects on Freshwater Diatom Biodiversity and Community Composition

Benito,

Passy,

Vilmi

et al. 2024

Diatom Ecology

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Evaluating Alternative Metacommunity Hypotheses for Diatoms in the McMurdo Dry Valleys Using Simulations and Remote Sensing Data

Cited by 3 publications

References 64 publications

Blowin’ in the wind: Dispersal, structure, and metacommunity dynamics of aeolian diatoms in the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica

Blowin’ in the wind: Dispersal, structure, and metacommunity dynamics of aeolian diatoms in the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica

Drifting along: using diatoms to track the contribution of microbial mats to particulate organic matter transport in a glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Deterministic and Stochastic Effects on Freshwater Diatom Biodiversity and Community Composition

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