Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T14:47:49.536Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Remote characterization of photosynthetic communities in the Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2020

Mark R. Salvatore Open the ORCID record for Mark R. Salvatore [Opens in a new window] ,
Schuyler R. Borges Open the ORCID record for Schuyler R. Borges [Opens in a new window] ,
John E. Barrett Open the ORCID record for John E. Barrett [Opens in a new window] ,
Eric R. Sokol Open the ORCID record for Eric R. Sokol [Opens in a new window] ,
Lee F. Stanish Open the ORCID record for Lee F. Stanish [Opens in a new window] ,
Sarah N. Power Open the ORCID record for Sarah N. Power [Opens in a new window]  and
Paul Morin
Mark R. Salvatore*
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, NAU Box 6010, Flagstaff, AZ86011, USA
Schuyler R. Borges
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, NAU Box 6010, Flagstaff, AZ86011, USA
John E. Barrett
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 2125 Derring Hall, Mail Code 0406, Blacksburg, VA24061, USA
Eric R. Sokol
Affiliation:
National Ecological Observatory Network, Battelle Memorial Institute, 1685 38th Street, Suite 100, Boulder, CO80301, USA
Lee F. Stanish
Affiliation:
National Ecological Observatory Network, Battelle Memorial Institute, 1685 38th Street, Suite 100, Boulder, CO80301, USA
Sarah N. Power
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 2125 Derring Hall, Mail Code 0406, Blacksburg, VA24061, USA
Paul Morin
Affiliation:
Polar Geospatial Center, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 1954 Buford Avenue, St Paul, MN55108, USA
*
[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We investigate the spatial distribution, spectral properties and temporal variability of primary producers (e.g. communities of microbial mats and mosses) throughout the Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, using high-resolution multispectral remote-sensing data. Our results suggest that photosynthetic communities can be readily detected throughout the Fryxell basin based on their unique near-infrared spectral signatures. Observed intra- and inter-annual variability in spectral signatures are consistent with short-term variations in mat distribution, hydration and photosynthetic activity. Spectral unmixing is also implemented in order to estimate mat abundance, with the most densely vegetated regions observed from orbit correlating spatially with some of the most productive regions of the Fryxell basin. Our work establishes remote sensing as a valuable tool in the study of these ecological communities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys and demonstrates how future scientific investigations and the management of specially protected areas could benefit from these tools and techniques.

Keywords

ecologyhydrologyMcMurdo Dry Valleysmicrobiologyremote sensingspectroscopy
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , August 2020 , pp. 255 - 270
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, B.J., Bardgett, R.D., Ayres, E., Wall, D.H., Aislabie, J., Bamforth, S., et al. 2006. Diversity and distribution of Victoria Land biota. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 38, 10.1016/j.soilbio.2006.04.030.10.1016/j.soilbio.2006.04.030CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aiken, G., McKnight, D., Harnish, R. & Wershaw, R. 1996. Geochemistry of aquatic humic substances in the Lake Fryxell basin, Antarctica. Biogeochemistry, 34, 10.1007/BF00000900.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alger, A.S., McKnight, D.M., Spaulding, S.A., Tate, C.M., Shupe, G.H., Welch, K.A., et al. 1997. Ecological processes in a cold desert ecosystem: the abundance and species distribution of algal mats in glacial meltwater streams in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research Occasional Paper, 51, 108 pp.Google Scholar
Andréfouët, S., Hochberg, E.J., Payri, C., Atkinson, M.J., Muller-Karger, F.E. & Ripley, H. 2003. Multi-scale remote sensing of microbial mats in an atoll environment. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 24, 10.1080/0143116031000066909.10.1080/0143116031000066909CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrett, J.E., Gooseff, M.N. & Takacs-Vesbach, C. 2009. Spatial variation in soil active-layer geochemistry across hydrologic margins in polar desert ecosystems. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 13, 10.5194/hess-13-2349-2009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bollard-Breen, B., Brooks, J.D., Jones, M.R.L., Robertson, J., Betschart, S., Kung, O., et al. 2014. Application of an unmanned aerial vehicle in spatial mapping of terrestrial biology and human disturbance in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, East Antarctica. Polar Biology, 38, 10.1007/s00300-014-1586-7.Google Scholar
Campbell, I.B., Claridge, G.G.C. & Balks, M.R. 1998. Short- and long-term impacts of human disturbances on snow-free surfaces in Antarctica. Polar Record, 34, 10.1017/S0032247400014935.10.1017/S0032247400014935CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Casanovas, P., Black, M., Fretwell, P. & Convey, P. 2015. Mapping lichen distribution on the Antarctic Peninsula using remote sensing, lichen spectra and photographic documentation by citizen scientists. Polar Research, 34, 10.3402/polar.v34.25633.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doran, P.T., McKay, C.P., Clow, G.D., Dana, G.L., Fountain, A.G., Nylen, T. & Lyons, W.B. 2002. Valley floor climate observations from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, 1986–2000. Journal of Geophysical Research, 107, 10.1029/2001JD002045.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Esposito, R.M.M., Horn, S.L., McKnight, D.M., Cox, M.J., Grant, M.C., Spaulding, S.A., et al. 2006. Antarctic climate cooling and response of diatoms in glacial meltwater streams. Geophysical Research Letters, 33, 10.1029/2006GL025903.10.1029/2006GL025903CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fehlmann, A., Kopp, G., Schmutz, W., Winkler, R., Finsterle, W. & Fox, N. 2012. Fourth World Radiometric Reference to SI radiometric scale for comparison and implications for on-orbit measurements of the total solar irradiance. Metrologia, 49, 10.1088/0026-1394/49/2/S34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fretwell, P.T., Convey, P., Fleming, A.H., Peat, H.J. & Hughes, K.A. 2011. Detecting and mapping vegetation distribution on the Antarctic Peninsula from remote sensing data. Polar Biology, 34, 10.1007/s00300-010-0880-2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gooseff, M.N., Barrett, J.E., Adams, B.J., Doran, P.T., Fountain, A.G., Lyons, W.B., et al. 2017. Decadal ecosystem response to an anomalous melt season in a polar desert in Antarctica. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1, 10.1038/s41559-017-0253-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hannach, G. & Sigleo, A.C. 1998. Photoinduction of UV-absorbing compounds in six species of marine phytoplankton. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 174, 10.3354/meps174207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haselwimmer, C. & Fretwell, P. 2009. Field reflectance spectroscopy of sparse vegetation cover on the Antarctic Peninsula. In 2009 First Workshop on Hyperspectral Image and Signal Processing: Evolution in Remote Sensing. Grenoble: IEEE, 1–4.Google Scholar
Hawes, I. & Howard-Williams, C. 1998. Primary production processes in streams of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Antarctic Research Series, 72, 129–140.Google Scholar
Hawes, I., Howard-Williams, C. & Vincent, W.F. 1992. Desiccation and recovery of Antarctic cyanobacterial mats. Polar Biology, 12, 10.1007/BF00236981.10.1007/BF00236981CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howard-Williams, C. & Vincent, W.F. 1989. Microbial communities in southern Victoria Land streams (Antarctica) I. Photosynthesis. Hydrobiologia, 172, 10.1007/BF00031610.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kohler, T.J., Stanish, L.F., Crisp, S.W., Koch, J.C., Liptzin, D., Baeseman, J.L. & McKnight, D.M. 2015. Life in the main channel: long-term hydrologic control of microbial mat abundance in McMurdo Dry Valley streams, Antarctica. Ecosystems, 18, 10.1007/s10021-014-9829-6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kokaly, R.F., Clark, R.N., Swayze, G.A., Livo, K.E., Hoefen, T.M., Pearson, N.C., et al. 2017. USGS Spectral Library Version 7. US Geological Survey Data Series, 1035, 61 pp.Google Scholar
Kotta, J., Valdivia, N., Kutser, T., Toming, K., Rätsep, M. & Orav-Kotta, H. 2018. Predicting the cover and richness of intertidal microalgae in remote areas: a case study in the Antarctic Peninsula. Ecology and Evolution, 8, 10.1002/ece3.4463.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levy, J. 2013. How big are the McMurdo Dry Valleys? Estimating ice-free area using Landsat image data. Antarctic Science, 25, 10.1017/S0954102012000727.10.1017/S0954102012000727CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levy, J., Nolin, A., Fountain, A. & Head, J. 2014. Hyperspectral measurements of wet, dry and saline soils from the McMurdo Dry Valleys: soil moisture properties from remote sensing. Antarctic Science, 26, 10.1017/S0954102013000977.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKay, C.P., Clow, G.D., Wharton, R.A. & Squyres, S.W. 1985. Thickness of ice on perennially frozen lakes. Nature, 313, 10.1038/313561a0.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKnight, D.M. & Tate, C.M. 1997. Canada Stream: a glacial meltwater stream in Taylor Valley, South Victoria Land, Antarctica. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 16, 10.2307/1468224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKnight, D.M., Niyogi, D.K., Alger, A.S., Bomblies, A., Conovitz, P.A. & Tate, C.M. 1999. Dry valley streams in Antarctica: ecosystems waiting for water. BioScience, 49, 10.1525/bisi.1999.49.12.985.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKnight, D.M., Tate, C.M., Andrews, E.D., Niyogi, D.K., Cozzetto, K., Welch, K., et al. G. 2007. Reactivation of a cryptobiotic stream ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: a long-term geomorphological experiment. Geomorphology, 89, 10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.07.025.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mikucki, J.A., Auken, E., Tulaczyk, S., Virginia, R.A., Schamper, C., Sørensen, K.I., et al. 2015. Deep groundwater and potential subsurface habitats beneath an Antarctic dry valley. Nature Communications, 6, 10.1038/ncomms7831.10.1038/ncomms7831CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Niyogi, D.K., Tate, C.M., McKnight, D.M., Duff, J.H. & Alger, A.S. 1997. Species composition and primary production of algal communities in dry valley streams in Antarctica: examination of the functional role of biodiversity. In Lyons, W.B., Howard-Williams, C. & Hawes, I., eds. Processes in Antarctic ice-free landscapes. Amsterdam: Balkema Press, 171–179.Google Scholar
Pointing, S.B., Chan, Y., Lacap, D.C., Lau, M.C.Y., Jurgens, J.A. & Farrell, R.L. 2009. Highly specialized microbial diversity in hyper-arid polar desert. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106, 10.1073/pnas.0908274106.Google ScholarPubMed
Priscu, J. & Howkins, A., eds. 2016. Environmental assessment of the McMurdo Dry Valleys: witness to the past and guide to the future. Special publication LRES-PRG 02. Bozeman, MT: Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Montana State University, 63 pp.Google Scholar
Ramsey, M.S. & Christensen, P.R. 1998. Mineral abundance determination: quantitative deconvolution of thermal emission spectra. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103, 10.1029/97JB02784.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reddy, G.S.N., Aggarwal, R.K., Matsumoto, G.I. & Shivaji, S. 2000. Arthrobacter flavus sp. nov., a psychrophilic bacterium isolated from a pond in McMurdo Dry Valley, Antarctica. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 50, 10.1099/00207713-50-4-1553.10.1099/00207713-50-4-1553CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, D.H., Kolber, Z. & Sullivan, C.W. 1997. Photophysiology and photoacclimation in surface sea ice algae from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 147, 10.3354/meps147243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rouse, J.W., Haas, R.H., Schell, J.A. & Deering, D.W. 1973. Monitoring the vernal advancement and retrogradation (green wave effect) of natural vegetation. NASA/GSFC type II progress report 1978-1. Greenbelt, MD: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Technical Report, Goddard Space Flight Center, 8 pp.Google Scholar
Rouse, J.W., Haas, R.H., Schell, J.A. & Deering, D.W. 1974. Monitoring vegetation systems in the Great Plains with ERTS. Third ERTS-1 Symposium SP-351, 1, 309–317.Google Scholar
Salvatore, M.R. 2015. High-resolution compositional remote sensing of the Transantarctic Mountains: application to the WorldView-2 dataset. Antarctic Science, 27, 10.1017/S095410201500019X.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salvatore, M.R., Mustard, J.F., Head, J.W., Marchant, D.R. & Wyatt, M.B. 2014. Characterization of spectral and geochemical variability within the Ferrar Dolerite of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: weathering, alteration, and magmatic processes. Antarctic Science, 26, 10.1017/S0954102013000254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwarz, A.M.J., Green, T.G.A. & Seppelt, R.D. 1992. Terrestrial vegetation at Canada Glacier, Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Polar Biology, 12, 10.1007/BF00243110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seppelt, R.D., Green, T.G.A., Schwarz, A.-M.J. & Frost, A. 1992. Extreme southern locations for moss sporophytes in Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 4, 10.1017/S0954102092000087.10.1017/S0954102092000087CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simmons, B.L., Wall, D.H., Adams, B.J., Ayres, E., Barrett, J.E. & Virginia, R.A. 2009. Terrestrial mesofauna in above- and below-ground habitats: Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Polar Biology, 32, 10.1007/s00300-009-0639-9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sokol, E.R., Herbold, C.W., Lee, C.K., Cary, S.C. & Barrett, J.E. 2013. Local and regional influences over soil microbial metacommunities in the Transantarctic Mountains. Ecosphere, 4, 10.1890/ES13-00136.1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stanish, L.F., Nemergut, D.R. & McKnight, D.M. 2011. Hydrologic processes influence diatom community composition in Dry Valley streams. Freshwater Science, 30, 10.1899/11-008.1.Google Scholar
Taton, A., Grubisic, S., Brambilla, E., de Wit, R. & Wilmotte, A. 2003. Cyanobacterial diversity in natural and artificial microbial mats of Lake Fryxell (McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica): a morphological and molecular approach. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 69, 10.1128/AEM.69.9.5157-5769.2003.10.1128/AEM.69.9.5157-5169.2003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tucker, C.J. 1979. Red and photographic infrared linear combinations for monitoring vegetation. Remote Sensing of Environment, 8, 10.1016/0034-4257(79)90013-0.10.1016/0034-4257(79)90013-0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Updike, T. & Comp, C. 2010. Radiometric use of WorldView-2 imagery: technical note. Longmont, CO: DigitalGlobe, 16 pp.Google Scholar
Vincent, W.F. & Quesada, A. 2013. Ultraviolet radiation effects on cyanobacteria: implications for Antarctic microbial ecosystems. Antarctic Research Series, 62, 111–124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vincent, W.F., Downes, M.T., Castenholz, R.W. & Howard-Williams, C. 1993. Community structure and pigment organisation of cyanobacteria-dominated microbial mats in Antarctica. European Journal of Phycology, 28, 10.1080/09670269300650321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, S.A., Rueckert, A., Cowan, D.A. & Cary, S.C. 2008. Sources of edaphic cyanobacterial diversity in the Dry Valleys of Eastern Antarctica. ISME Journal, 2, 10.1038/ismej.2007.104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wu, C., Niu, Z., Tang, Q. & Huang, W. 2008. Estimating chlorophyll content from hyperspectral vegetation indices: modeling and validation. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 148, 10.1016/j.agrformet.2008.03.005.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Salvatore et al. supplementary material

Salvatore et al. supplementary material

Download Salvatore et al. supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 303.4 KB