Chlorophyta, Xanthophyceae and Cyanobacteria in Wright Valle
Details of Research
TitleChlorophyta, Xanthophyceae and Cyanobacteria in Wright Valley, AntarcticaAbstractWright Valley, Victoria Land contains numerous aquatic habitats suitable for the growth of algae in summer. Excepting diatoms and lichen phycobionts, algal diversity and distribution in the valley was documented. Using cultures and environmental cloning eight cyanobacterial and 14 eukaryotic species were revealed. The cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus and the chlorophycean Chlorococcum sp. 1 were the most common, both occurring in more than one habitat (ponds, soils or streams). Ponds harboured the most diverse communities. Habitat specialization was rare. Chlamydomonads were not found outside ponds, but species capable of zoospore production were able to colonize ponds and soils. Nostocalean cyanobacteria were not detected. Results suggest dispersal within and between valleys, with little evidence of Antarctic endemism. All but one cyanobacterium with similar internally transcribed spacer (ITS) length to clones from Miers Valley proved to be different species when 16S rRNA gene sequences were also considered; thus, ITS length is unreliable for assessing identity and biogeography of these cyanobacteria. Comparison with a 454 16S rRNA gene soil dataset from Wright Valley indicated the occurrence of only one of the cyanobacterial species, the distribution of which may be limited by salinity. Copyright Antarctic Science Ltd 2015.AcknowledgementsLogistic support in Antarctica was provided by Antarctica New Zealand Event K123. Funding was provided by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (under contract CO9X1001). Two anonymous referees provided very helpful comments that strengthened the manuscript.
TypeArticleCitationNovis, P., Aislabie, J., Turner, S. and McLeod, M. (2015) Chlorophyta, Xanthophyceae and Cyanobacteria in Wright Valley, Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 27(5): 439-454 doi:10.1017/S0954102015000164 IdentifierNovis2015Relevancerank5
McLeod, M., Chlorophyta, Xanthophyceae and Cyanobacteria in Wright Valle , [Novis2015]. Antarctica NZ, accessed 21/09/2026, https://adam.antarcticanz.govt.nz/nodes/view/63696, 10.1017/S0954102015000164
