Rapid microbial response to the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleys

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dc.contributor.authorTiao, Grace
dc.contributor.authorLee, Charles Kai-Wu
dc.contributor.authorMcDonald, Ian R.
dc.contributor.authorCowan, Don A.
dc.contributor.authorCary, S. Craig
dc.coverage.spatialEnglanden_NZ
dc.date.accessioned2013-04-21T22:13:09Z
dc.date.available2013-04-21T22:13:09Z
dc.date.copyright2012-02-07
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractThe extreme cold and aridity of the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys have led to the longstanding belief that metabolic rates of soil microbiota are negligible, and that ecosystem changes take place over millennia. Here we report the first direct experimental evidence that soil microbial communities undergo rapid and lasting changes in response to contemporary environmental conditions. Mummified seals, curious natural artifacts found scattered throughout Dry Valleys, alter their underlying soil environment by stabilizing temperatures, elevating relative humidity and reducing ultraviolet exposure. In a unique, multi-year mummified seal transplantation experiment, we found that endemic Dry Valley microbial communities responded to these changes within 3 years, resulting in a sevenfold increase in CO2 flux and a significant reduction in biodiversity. These findings challenge prevailing ideas about Antarctic Dry Valley ecosystems and indicate that current and future environmental conditions may strongly influence the ecology of the dominant biota in the Dry Valleys.en_NZ
dc.identifier.citationTiao, G., Lee, C. K., McDonald, I. R., Cowan, D. A., & Cary, S. C. (2012). Rapid microbial response to the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleys. Nature Communications, 3, 660.en_NZ
dc.identifier.doi10.1038/ncomms1645en_NZ
dc.identifier.issn2041-1723
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10289/7498
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherNature Publishing Groupen_NZ
dc.relation.isPartOfNature Communicationsen_NZ
dc.relation.ispartofNature Communications
dc.titleRapid microbial response to the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleysen_NZ
dc.typeJournal Articleen_NZ
pubs.begin-page1en_NZ
pubs.elements-id37183
pubs.end-page1en_NZ
pubs.volumeonlineen_NZ
uow.identifier.article-noARTN 660en_NZ
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