Diversity and distribution of Tardigrada in Arctic cryoconite holes

Despite the fact that glaciers and ice sheets have been monitored for more than a century, knowledge on the glacial biota remains poor. Cryoconite holes are water-filled reservoirs on a glacier’s surface and one of the most extreme ecosystems for micro-invertebrates. Tardigrada, also known as water bears, are a common inhabitant of cryoconite holes. In this paper we present novel data on the morphology, diversity, distribution and role in food web of tardigrades on Arctic glaciers. From 33 sampled cryoconite holes of 6 glaciers on Spitsbergen, in 25 tardigrades were found and identified. Five taxa of Tardigrada (Eutardigrada) were found in the samples, they are: Hypsibius dujardini, Hypsibius sp. A, Isohypsibius sp. A., Pilatobius recamieri, and one species of Ramazzottiidae. H. dujardini and P. recamieri were previously known from tundra in the Svalbard archipelago. Despite the number of studies on Arctic tundra ecosystems, Hypsibius sp. A, one species of Ramazzottiidae and Isohypsibius sp. A are known only from cryoconite holes. Tardigrade found in this study do not falsify the hypothesis that glaciers and ice sheets are a viable biome (characteristic for biome organisms assemblages - tardigrades). Diagnosis of Hypsibius sp. A, Isohypsibius sp. A, and species of Ramazzottiidae with discussion on the status of taxa, is provided. To check what analytes are associated with the presence of tardigrades in High Arctic glacier chemical analyses were carried out on samples taken from the Buchan Glacier. pH values and the chemical composition of anions and cations from cryoconite hole water from the Buchan Glacier are also presented. The current study on the Spitsbergen glaciers clearly indicates that tardigrade species richness in cryoconite holes is lower than tardigrade species richness in Arctic tundra ecosystems, but consists of unique cryoconite hole species. As cryoconite tardigrades may feed on bacteria as well as algae, they are primary consumers and grazers - secondary consumers of the decomposer food chain in this extreme ecosystem.

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Plant community composition and species richness in the High Arctic tundra: From the present to the future

Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1002/ece3.3496 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (23) ◽

pp. 10233-10242 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jacob Nabe-Nielsen ◽

Signe Normand ◽

Francis K. C. Hui ◽

Laerke Stewart ◽

Christian Bay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Community Composition ◽

Plant Community ◽

Arctic Tundra ◽

High Arctic ◽

Plant Community Composition ◽

The Future

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Seabirds modify trophic groups, while altitude promotes xeric-tolerant species of Tardigrada in the high Arctic tundra (Svalbard archipelago)

Acta Oecologica ◽

10.1016/j.actao.2019.05.007 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 98 ◽

pp. 50-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Krzysztof Zawierucha ◽

Katarzyna Zmudczyńska-Skarbek ◽

Noemi Guil ◽

Michał Bogdziewicz

Keyword(s):

Arctic Tundra ◽

High Arctic ◽

Trophic Groups ◽

Svalbard Archipelago ◽

Tolerant Species

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Zonation in the plant cover on the Wrangel Island: syntaxonomical approach

Vegetation of Russia ◽

10.31111/vegrus/2013.23.89 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 89-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

S. S. Kholod

Keyword(s):

Vascular Plants ◽

Plant Cover ◽

Arctic Tundra ◽

High Arctic ◽

Horizontal Structure ◽

Wrangel Island ◽

Number Of Species ◽

The Status ◽

Minimum Number ◽

Altitudinal Belts

Hierarchical subdivision of the Wrangel Island was realized using syntaxonomic method. Following criteria were used: syntaxonomic spectrum and percentage share of syntaxa on zonal and intrazonal sites, the status of syntaxa in the system of altitudinal belts, the indexes of zonation and intrazonation, the index of dissimilarity between syntaxa (І-diversity) and mean number of species per relevй. The system of zonocontinuums and the criterion of typomorphic groups were applied to represent the character of syntaxa distribution. Furthermore, the indexes of “species-area relationships”, zonal-geographical groups of species, cover of the different groups of species and its variation, horizontal structure of communities and above ground phytomass were reviewed. All numerical characteristics allowed to make a differentiation of the island vegetation between 4 variants. Among these 2 ones are southern and nothern variants of arctic tundra subzones, 1 — is northern variant of typical tundra subzone and 1 — is southern (coastal) variant of polar deserts. The last are delimited fr om other zonal categories in highest rank —as geobotanical zone. They are characterized by minimum number of syntaxa in zonal sites (4) and in flood-plains (2), absence of any syntaxa at the slopes of southern exposure. All other indexes of diversity are of a least value: dissimilarity between syntaxa (43.7), and average number of species in relevй (5.9). Differentiate syntaxa for all sites (except plakkat) and typomorphic groups are absent. It is a least value of і-diversity: the parameter b1 in regression equation is1.17. Moreover, the cover of vascular plants decreases to 10–20 %, but cover of lichens increases to 30 %. The cover of bryophytes and all vegetation are characterized by essential changes of variation coefficient (0.6–0.7 and 0.4–0.5 respectively), above ground phytomass of vascular plants is decreases to 49.9 g/m2. The part of arctic zonal-geographical groups is increases greatly to 61.4 %, but total part of hypoarctic and boreal is decreases to 3.8 %. Sporadic-spotted type of horizontal structure is exclusively peculiar to this zone. Northern variant of typical tundra is characterized by a relatively large number of syntaxa at slopes of southern exposure (19) and high value of index of abruptness (0.56). Number of syntaxa with diagnostic meaning of altitudinal changes is greater — 13. The index of І-diversity by means average number of species in relevй is 9.5 and by means dissimilarity between syntaxa is 55.1 %. High diversity of syntaxa (9) differentiating at slopes of southern exposure is inherent to this zonal variant. Besides, large role of hypoarctic species (10.8 %), irregular-mosaic type of horizontal structure and relatively large overground phytomass of vascular plants (89.9 g/m2) are characterized for this zonal category. Here it is the highest value of і-diversity (b1 = 3.07). Southern and northern variants of arctic tundra are characterized by parameters distinguished from the plant cover of polar deserts zone and typical tundra subzone. These parameters are: number of syntaxa at slopes of southern exposure (11 and 8), their index of abruptness (0.36 and 0.29), number of syntaxa with diagnostic meaning of altitudinal changes (8 and 5), indexes of І-diversity (60.0 and 58.5 — dissimilarity between syntaxa, 7.9 and 8.2 — average number of species in relevй). Moreover, similar values of і-diversity (b1 = 2.30 and 2.50), zonal-geographical spectrum (wh ere total part of hypoarctic and boreal groups is smaller essentially then in typical tundra, but part of arctic group is equal to one of polar deserts) and above ground phytomass of vascular plants (83.5 g/m2and 80.1 g/m2) are peculiar to these two variants. Several vegetation indexes contribute to reveal southern and northern zonal variants. The last region is referred to the High Arctic. Also diagnostic amount of syntaxa and analytical characteristics for zonal categories of definite rank were determined. Typical syntaxa have a special significance for zonal categories of higher rank (tundra zone as whole and the subzone of arctic tundra).

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The morphology of experimentally produced charcoal distinguishes fuel types in the Arctic tundra

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/0959683620908629 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 1091-1096 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eleanor MB Pereboom ◽

Richard S Vachula ◽

Yongsong Huang ◽

James Russell

Keyword(s):

Arctic Tundra ◽

Global Carbon Cycle ◽

Fire Frequency ◽

The Arctic ◽

Fuel Type ◽

The Past ◽

Primary Means ◽

Forested Ecosystems ◽

Global Carbon ◽

Tundra Ecosystems

Wildfires in the Arctic tundra have become increasingly frequent in recent years and have important implications for tundra ecosystems and for the global carbon cycle. Lake sediment–based records are the primary means of understanding the climatic influences on tundra fires. Sedimentary charcoal has been used to infer climate-driven changes in tundra fire frequency but thus far cannot differentiate characteristics of the vegetation burnt during fire events. In forested ecosystems, charcoal morphologies have been used to distinguish changes in fuel type consumed by wildfires of the past; however, no such approach has been developed for tundra ecosystems. We show experimentally that charcoal morphologies can be used to differentiate graminoid (mean = 6.77; standard deviation (SD) = 0.23) and shrub (mean = 2.42; SD = 1.86) biomass burnt in tundra fire records. This study is a first step needed to construct more nuanced tundra wildfire histories and to understand how wildfire will impact the region as vegetation and fire change in the future.

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Moving out of town? The status of alien plants in high‐Arctic Svalbard, and a method for monitoring of alien flora in high‐risk, polar environments

Ecological Solutions and Evidence ◽

10.1002/2688-8319.12056 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jesamine C. Bartlett ◽

Kristine Bakke‐Westergaard ◽

Ingrid M. G. Paulsen ◽

Ronja E. M. Wedegärtner ◽

Florian Wilken ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

High Arctic ◽

Alien Plants ◽

Alien Flora ◽

The Status

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Solute in high arctic glacier snow cover and its impact on runoff chemistry

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/1998aog26-1-156-160 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 156-160 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Richard Hodgkins ◽

Martyn Tranter

Keyword(s):

Chemical Composition ◽

Atmospheric Transport ◽

Total Concentration ◽

High Arctic ◽

Sea Salt ◽

Acidic Ph ◽

Sea Salt Aerosol ◽

Wet Snow ◽

Potential Contributor ◽

Arctic Glacier

The chemical composition of snow and meltwater in the 13 km2 catchment of Scott Turnerbreen, Svalbard, was investigated during the spring and summer of 1993. This paper assesses the provenance of solute in the snowpack and its impact on runoff chemistry. Dry snow contains 420μeql-1 of solute, is slightly acidic (pH 5.4) and is dominated by Na+ and Cl-. Wet snow is more dilute (total concentration 340μeql-1), and less acidic (pH 5.9). This is consistent with the elution of ions from the snowpack by meltwater. Snowpack solute can be partitioned into the following fractions: sea-salt aerosol, acid aerosol and crustal. About 98% of snowpack solute is sea salt, yielding 22000 kg km-2a-1. The behaviour of snowpack-derived Cl- in runoff is distinctive, peaking at over 800 μeql-1 early in the melt season as runoff picks up, before declining quasi-exponentially. This represents the discharge of snowmelt concentrated by elution within the snowpack which subsequently becomes relatively dilute. A solute yield of 140 kg km-2 a-1 can be attributed to anthropogenically generated acid aerosols, representing long-range atmospheric transport of pollutants, a potential contributor to Arctic runoff acidification.

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Identification and phenotypic plasticity of Pseudanabaena catenata from the Svalbard archipelago

Polish Polar Research ◽

10.1515/popore-2017-0022 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 445-458 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zoya Khan ◽

Wan Maznah Wan Omar ◽

Faradina Merican Mohd Sidik Merican ◽

Asmimie Asmawarnie Azizan ◽

Choon Pin Foong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

Apical Cell ◽

High Arctic ◽

Culture Conditions ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Molecular Characterisation ◽

Liquid Media ◽

Svalbard Archipelago ◽

Temperature Regimes ◽

Cell Dimensions

Abstract A filamentous benthic cyanobacteria, strain USMAC16, was isolated from the High Arctic Svalbard archipelago, Norway, and a combination of morphological, ultrastructural and molecular characterisation (16S rRNA gene sequence) used to identify to species level. Cell dimensions, thylakoid arrangement and apical cell shape are consistent with the Pseudanabaena genus description. The molecular characterisation of P. catenata gave 100% similarity with Pseudanabaena catenata SAG 1464-1, originally reported from Germany. Strain USMAC16 was cultured under a range of temperature and photoperiod conditions, in solid and liquid media, and harvested at exponential phase to examine its phenotypic plasticity. Under different culture conditions, we observed considerable variations in cell dimensions. The longest cell (5.91±0.13 μm) was observed at 15°C under 12:12 light:dark, and the widest cell (3.24±0.06 μm) at 4°C under 12:12 light: dark in liquid media. The study provides baseline data documenting the morphological variation of P. catenata in response to changing temperature regimes.

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