Authigenic phillipsite in lacustrine sediments, Taylor Valley, Antarctica

Distribution of Siliceous-Walled Algae in Taylor Valley, Antarctica Lakes

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are a unique environment characterized by extreme lows in temperature and precipitation, which supports a low diversity microbial and multicellular fauna and flora. Terrestrial biomass is largely limited to soil microbes and mosses, while perennially ice-covered lakes host aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities, algae, and a low diversity eukaryotic fa...

The geochemistry of upland ponds, Taylor Valley, Antarctica

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are the largest ice-free region on the continent. These valleys contain numerous water bodies that receive seasonal melt from glaciers. For forty years, research emphasis has been placed on the larger water bodies, the permanent ice-covered lakes. We present results from the first study describing the geochemistry of ponds in the higher elevations of Taylor...

Invertebrate Diversity in Taylor Valley Soils and Sediments

Cyanobacterial diversity across landscape units in a polar desert: Taylor Valley, Antarctica.

Life in the Taylor Valley, Antarctica, is dominated by microorganisms, with cyanobacteria being key primary producers in the region. Despite their abundance and ecological importance, the factors controlling biogeography, diversity, dispersal of cyanobacteria in Taylor Valley and other polar environments are poorly understood. Owing to persistent high winds, we hypothesize that the cyanobacteri...

Metabolic activity and diversity of cryoconites in the Taylor Valley, Antarctica

[1] Metabolic activity and biogeochemical diversity within cryoconites from the Canada, Commonwealth, Howard, and Hughes glaciers in the McMurdo Dry Valleys revealed the presence of a productive microbial refuge in this polar desert ecosystem. Fluorescent in situ hybridization showed a high percentage of Cytophaga-Flavobacteria cells in cryoconite sediments (87.2%), while b-Proteobacterial cell...