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8 - Factors promoting microbial diversity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2010

By
Cristina Takacs-Vesbach ,
Lydia Zeglin ,
J.E. Barrett ,
Michael N. Gooseff  and
John C. Priscu
Edited by
Peter T. Doran ,
W. Berry Lyons  and
Diane M. McKnight
Peter T. Doran
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Chicago
W. Berry Lyons
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Diane M. McKnight
Affiliation:
University of Colorado, Boulder
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Summary

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) comprise a mosaic of habitats at scales ranging from micrometers to the kilometer scale. The varied landscape of the valleys, combined with strong physical and chemical gradients within and across the terrestrial and aquatic habitats, yields an ecosystem dominated by microbes that is both complex and diverse (Gordon et al.,2000; Smith et al., 2006; Mikucki and Priscu, 2007). The cold desert environment is analogous to icy conditions found on other icy worlds. For example, the low organic carbon, cold, arid soils of the MDV are similar to Mars' present-day terrestrial environment and the glaciers and ice-covered lakes of the MDV are comparable to conditions that existed on Mars in the past (Priscu et al., 1998; Wynn-Williams and Edwards, 2000; McKay et al., 2005). If there are extant or extinct life forms on Mars, they likely experience similar physical constraints and environmental challenges as do microbial communities in the MDV. Therefore, the MDV provide a unique earthly setting to gain insight into the diversity, adaptation, and function of life on other icy worlds. Here we describe the ecological processes and conditions that contribute to the microbial diversity observed in the MDV and relate these to potential life on Mars.

The McMurdo Dry Valley ecosystem

The MDV include a variety of unique habitats that are connected physically, chemically, and energetically (Fig. 8.1). Solar radiation and wind are the underlying forces that determine the existence and distribution of biota throughout the valleys (Dana et al., 1998; Nkem et al., 2006).

Type
Chapter
Information
Life in Antarctic Deserts and other Cold Dry Environments
Astrobiological Analogs
 , pp. 221 - 257
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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