The voyage of the 'Discovery'

Scott, Robert Falcon; Ferrar, Hartley Traverse.; Wilson, Edward

doi:10.5962/bhl.title.61076

Cited by 115 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Because of the absence of vascular plants and macrofauna, the Dry Valleys has long been considered highly hostile to life (Scott, 1905;WynnWilliams and Edwards, 1990;Vishniac, 1993). Furthermore, the limitation of culture-based techniques (Rappé and Giovannoni, 2003;Janssen, 2006), the lack of direct data on bacterial and archaeal diversity , and the belief that aeolian transport is the prevailing mechanism for microbiota distribution within the region (Moorhead et al, 1999;Hopkins et al, 2006;Nkem et al, 2006) collectively contributed to a prevailing notion that the microbial ecology of Dry Valley mineral soils is dominated by a few cosmopolitan species homogeneously distributed across the Dry Valley landscape (Horowitz et al, 1972;Johnson et al, 1978;Friedmann et al, 1993;Vishniac, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Inter-Valley Soil Comparative Survey: the ecology of Dry Valley edaphic microbial communities

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent applications of molecular genetics to edaphic microbial communities of the McMurdo Dry Valleys and elsewhere have rejected a long-held belief that Antarctic soils contain extremely limited microbial diversity. The Inter-Valley Soil Comparative Survey aims to elucidate the factors shaping these unique microbial communities and their biogeography by integrating molecular genetic approaches with biogeochemical analyses. Although the microbial communities of Dry Valley soils may be complex, there is little doubt that the ecosystem's food web is relatively simple, and evidence suggests that physicochemical conditions may have the dominant role in shaping microbial communities. To examine this hypothesis, bacterial communities from representative soil samples collected in four geographically disparate Dry Valleys were analyzed using molecular genetic tools, including pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene PCR amplicons. Results show that the four communities are structurally and phylogenetically distinct, and possess significantly different levels of diversity. Strikingly, only 2 of 214 phylotypes were found in all four valleys, challenging a widespread assumption that the microbiota of the Dry Valleys is composed of a few cosmopolitan species. Analysis of soil geochemical properties indicated that salt content, alongside altitude and Cu2+, was significantly correlated with differences in microbial communities. Our results indicate that the microbial ecology of Dry Valley soils is highly localized and that physicochemical factors potentially have major roles in shaping the microbiology of ice-free areas of Antarctica. These findings hint at links between Dry Valley glacial geomorphology and microbial ecology, and raise previously unrecognized issues related to environmental management of this unique ecosystem.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Inter-Valley Soil Comparative Survey: the ecology of Dry Valley edaphic microbial communities

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…He correlated this "thermal" age with the "diffusion" age of 60±20 years which he obtained from the chloride ion concentrations using the higher values of D discussed above. He attempted to equate these two ages to observations made by early explorers (Scott 1905;Taylor 1922) which indicated a rise of several metres, between 1903 and 1911. However this rise, which may have been significant to the thermal structure of the lake, does not appear to have affected the molecular diffusion significantly, unless temperatures in the diffusion cell were considerably higher than allowed by Shirtcliffe (1964).…”

Section: Age Of the Diffusion Cell In East Lobementioning

confidence: 99%

Dating of geochemical events in Lake Bonney, Antarctica, and their relation to glacial and climate changes

Hendy¹,

Wilson²,

Popplewell³

et al. 1977

New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Taylor Valley, named "Dry Valley" by Scott after its discovery in 1903 (Scott 1905), is probably the most visited part of the ice-free area in South Victoria Land. Pewe (1960) related the glacial deposits to others in the region, and McCraw (1962;1967a;1967b) features, and volcanic detritus in the valley.…”

Section: Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 99%