Sulfate reduction rates and some aspects of the limnology of four lakes and a fjord in the Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

Sulfate reduction rates were measured in waters and sediments from four antarctic lakes and an antarctic fjord basin by a radiometric technique. There was generally a linear correlation between the period of incubation and sulfate reduced; the average of the correlation coefficients was 0.76 ± 0.1. The rates at 6 °C were very low (0.0–1.1 µmol kg^–1 d^–1) when compared to most other marine and non-marine environments for which sulfate reduction rates have been reported. Lactate and acetate did not stimulate sulfate reduction. Temperatures of the sediments selected from the different sites varied from –0.4 to 4.5 °C and the chloride and sulfate concentrations of the sediments varied from 0.19 to 0.83 mol kg^–1 and 0.04 to 41.01 mmol kg^–1 respectively. Sulfate reduction rates did not correlate with the chlorosity of sediment porewaters.     

Trace element distributions in some saline lakes of the Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

The distributions of trace elements in Shield, Ace and Burton Lakes of the Vestfold Hills were investigated. Three aspects are discussed as follows: (1) the vertical distribution of 18 trace elements in the three lakes, (2) the behaviour of trace elements in the lakes, especially that of manganese in Shield Lake, and (3) the origin of trace elements in antarctic saline lakes.High concentrations of trace elements were found in these coastal saline lakes, when compared to open ocean water.We suggest that the peak of total extractable manganese, found at 20 m in Shield Lake, was related to the oxic/anoxic water interface brought about by microbiological activity. Solid phase manganese at the upper oxic layer may have precipitated and then reached the anoxic boundary to be there reduced to manganese ion. This dissolved manganese may then have diffused upwards to be reoxidized to a solid form. This cycle, repeated many times, may have produced the Mn profile.The alkali, alkaline earth elements and Cl were probably derived from relict seawater. Other elements were present in similar concentration ratios to those of South Polar aerosols. Residence time calculations indicate that fallout of aerosol particles, themselves derived from various sources, is capable of accounting for the measured concentrations of some trace elements in Shield Lake. This source of trace elements may be significant for other antarctic saline lakes.     

Methane production in meromictic Ace Lake,Antarctica

Methane occurred in the monimolimnion, at depths greater than 11 m, of an antarctic meromictic lake, Ace Lake (depth 24.7 m). Although the water of the lake was of approximate marine salinity, bottom waters were depleted in sulfate (less than 1 mmol 1^–1). The temperature of the bottom waters of the lake were constantly between 1 °C and 2 °C. Rates of methanogenesis from ¹⁴C-labelled precursors (bicarbonate, formate and acetate) were determined in time course experiments with the detection of ¹⁴CH₄ produced by a gas chromatography-gas proportional counting system. Rates of ¹⁴CH₄ production were difficult to determine as the reactions were always near our limit of detection.Reliable determinations of rates of methanogenesis at some depths using some precursors were obtained, the fastest rate being 2.5 µmol kg^–1 day^–1 at depth 20 m. Assuming constant rates of methanogenesis with time, this would equate to a turnover of methane in the lake every two years.The slow rate of methanogenesis suggests that the methanogens in Ace Lake may be working at well below their optimum temperature although definitive statements regarding the presence of psychrophilic methanogens in this antarctic lake must await isolation attempts or longer field studies using alternative methodologies.     

Plants and landscape in the Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

Maps are presented showing the recorded distribution and species density of terrestrial plants in the Vestfold Hills. The distribution, biomass and species diversity of terrestrial lithic algae, mosses and lichens is influenced positively by availability of meltwater from drift snow and by additional nutrient supply (probably N and P) near bird nest sites. The terrestrial plants are affected negatively by exposure (including sand blast) and salinity. These four factors are probably the most important environmental characteristics exercising local control over plant distribution and abundance within the limits set by temperature.Large changes in salinity, degree of exposure, water supply and nutrient supply occur across the Vestfold Hills, with the most favourable conditions generally occurring in the eastern half fairly close to the ice sheet.Plant distribution and abundance are also discussed in relation to the length of time that particular areas have been exposed as a result of ice retreat. With increasing time of exposure, plant diversity and abundance rise but subsequently fall sharply as conditions become more arid, saline, or both. This temporal sequence can be explained by considering changes in the important factors that control plant growth.     

Foraminiferida from Neogene sediments,Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

Sediment samples from several locations in the southern part of the Vestfold Hills have been examined for their foraminiferid content. Those from Early Pliocene sediments of Marine Plain immediately east of Burton Lake contain little foraminiferid evidence of marine deposition. Those from mid-late Holocene sections in and near the lakes contain good open marine faunas of species now known to be living on the continental shelf west of Cape Darnley.Foraminiferid faunas characterized by calcareous forms are most common, the most prevalent dominated by Globocassidulina crassa.The faunas examined contrast markedly with those in the present Prydz Bay which is characterized by agglutinated forms.The results, in relation to planktonic faunas, conflict with an earlier record of a diverse fauna.     

The inshore marine fishes of the Vestfold Hills region,Antarctica

Thirteen species of fish have so far been caught in the inshore waters around the Vestfold Hills, including the Rauer Islands, in depths down to approximately 100 m. Species caught depend markedly on the type of fishing gear used, but three species are clearly dominant numerically. Pagothenia bernacchii is most abundant in the shallower (< 20 m deep) weedy and rocky habitats, while Chionodraco hamatus is dominant in the deeper (> 20 m deep) nearshore troughs and further offshore. Pagothenia borchgrevinki occupies the specialized habitat associated with sea ice and close-inshore areas, including fjords and Burton Lake.The species list from the Vestfold Hills area is similar to lists from comparable locations in East Antarctica except for the major difference that C. hamatus has not yet been recorded from such shallow waters at the other locations, while P. bernacchii and P. hansoni are much more abundant in water deeper than 20 m at those sites than at Davis.     

The inshore marine ecosystem off the Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

The planktonic, ice/water interface, and benthic communities at three sites off the coast of the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica, were examined over a complete year.The planktonic flora and fauna were composed predominantly of oceanic species with diatoms and copepods the numerically dominant groups. Primary production was largely restricted to the summer months except for epontic algae which developed in spring. The zooplankton exhibited a similar seasonal cycle but lagged some months behind that of the phytoplankton.The ice/water interface (epontic) fauna consisted of species from the plankton and benthos. Copepods were major contributors; however, two amphipod species dominated. Seasonality of the fauna in this habitat was determined by ice formation and breakout, and development of ice algae.Each of the benthic substrates supported a characteristic macrofaunal assemblage, although infaunal amphipods and tanaids were similar at each site. Infauna exhibited a distinct seasonal cycle related to that of the primary producers whereas macrofauna showed no seasonal changes in abundance.Species composition of each community in this coastal antarctic region was comparable with that of similar habitats in other antarctic coastal areas, supporting the circumpolarity of antarctic marine communities.     

A survey of the terrestrial Tardigrada of the Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

A survey of the terrestrial tardigrades inhabiting growths of algae, lichens and mosses in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica, was carried out at 11 and 35 sites during the austral summers of 1980 and 1982, respectively. In all, 24 species of plants were collected from which four genera and four species of Tardigrada were recovered. A key to the tardigrades of the area is presented. The distribution and associational patterns of the tardigrades are discussed in the context of other studies of antarctic Tardigrada.     

The microbial plankton of freshwater lakes in the Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

Summary The plankton of twelve freshwater and slightly saline lakes in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica was sampled in February 1991. All of the lakes are oligotrophic. The chlorophyll a concentrations in the lakes ranged from 0.10–2.69 g · 1^–1. The majority of the phytoplankton were flagellates or picoplanktonic cyanobacteria with the species composition varying between the lakes. Cyanobacteria were found in five of the lakes. Five to 6 species of ciliated protozoa occurred, among them oligotrichs, including the mixotrophic species Strombidium viride. The concentrations of protists and bacteria were an order to several orders of magnitude lower than reported from lower latitude oligotrophic lakes. Low species diversity and low numbers in the plankton characterise these eastern Antarctica lakes which reflects their low nutrient status and isolation.     

Sulfate reduction and methanogenesis in the Shira and Shunet meromictic lakes (Khakasia, Russia)

The biogeochemical and molecular biological study of the chemocline and sediments of saline meromictic lakes Shira and Shunet (Khakasia, Russia) was performed. A marked increase in the rates of sulfate reduction and methanogenesis was revealed at the medium depths of the chemocline. The rates of these processes in the bottom sediments decreased with depth. The numbers of the members of domains Bacteria, Archaea, and of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization with rRNA specific oligonucleotide probes labeled with horseradish peroxidase and subsequent tyramide signal amplification. In the chemocline, both the total microbial numbers and those of Bacteria were shown to increase with depth. The archaea and SRB were present in almost equal numbers. In the lake sediments, a drastic decrease in microbial numbers with depth was revealed. SRB were found to prevail in the upper sediment layer and archaea in the lower one. This finding correlated with the measured rates of sulfate reduction and methanogenesis.     

Vertical distribution and rotifer concentrations in the chemocline of meromictic lakes

The vertical distribution of planktonic rotifers has been analysed in relation to season in several meromictic lakes; a coastal lagoon with sea-water intrusion and three dissolution lakes from two karstic systems. Two species, Filinia hofmanni and a form of Anuraeopsis fissa have been found to be more or less restricted to the chemocline or adjacent strata any time they occurred. Many species common in the upper water layers developed large populations near or in the chemocline and more strikingly in summer. Some species had two vertical maxima (one in the surface or the thermocline and another near the chemocline), while others successively shifted their maxima between the upper layers and the chemocline. It is hypothetized that these rotifers are either very versatile or are differentiated as ecotypes, one of them adapted to the chemocline environment. This distribution in a peculiar fluctuating, anoxic, H₂S-rich environment poses questions about the biology of those rotifers which there develop extraordinary populations.     

Pigment and lipid compositions of algal and bacterial communities in Ace Lake,Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

The compositions of carotenoids, chlorophylls and lipids at four depths in Ace Lake have been determined as a means of studying the vertical zonation of species in the lake and for comparison with the lipids found in the bottom sediments. The four major species of phytoplankton found in the lake were identified by electron microscopy. The most abundant phytoplankter was Pyramimonas gelidicola McFadden (Chlorophyta, Prasinophyceae) which occurred in greatest numbers at 10 m, the base of the oxylimnion. The pigments and lipids at this depth were mainly derived from this alga. At 11 m (the top of the anoxylimnion) only traces of lipids and pigments attributable to P. gelidicola were found, indicating only limited settling of algal cells through to the anoxylimnion, at least in summer. The pigments at 11 m were dominated by bacteriochlorophylls c derived from green photosynthetic bacteria Chlorobium spp. These pigments were also abundant at 23 m suggesting the presence of intact bacterial cells which had settled out from higher in the water column. Major non-polar lipid classes in the sediments included sterols, alcohols, hydrocarbons and an unusual suite of very long-chain unsaturated ketones and esters which have not previously been reported from antarctic environments. Several novel compounds, not found previously in either sediments or organisms, are reported. These include tri- and tetra-unsaturated straight-chain C₃₉ methyl ketones and C₄₀ ethyl ketones and the methyl ester of a tetra-unsaturated straight-chain C₃₆ fatty acid. The distributions of lipids in the sediment were markedly different from those in the water column indicating extensive bacterial degradation and recycling of labile lipids.     

Microbial communities in saline lakes of the Vestfold Hills (eastern Antarctica)

A detailed survey was undertaken of the microbial communities of 16 saline lakes in the Vestfold Hills (Princess Elizabeth Land, eastern Antarctica), which ranged in salinity from slightly brackish (4–5‰) to hypersaline (maximum: 174‰). Temperatures at comparable sampling depths in the lakes ranged from −12.2°C to +10.5°C. Ranges in the abundances of bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNAN) and phototrophic nanoflagellates (PNAN) were 1.40 × 10⁷ l⁻¹–1.58 × 10¹⁰ l⁻¹, 4.83 × 10⁴ l⁻¹–1.70 × 10⁷ l⁻¹ and 0–1.02 × 10⁷ l⁻¹, respectively. There was considerable variation across the salinity spectrum, though in the case of bacteria and PNAN significantly higher concentrations of cells were seen in two of the most saline lakes. The autotrophic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum occurred in all but five of the lakes and was found at salinity levels up to 108‰. Heterotrophic ciliates were generally scarce. Dinoflagellates, particularly Gonyaulax c.f. tamarensis, Gyrodinium lachryma and Gymnodinium sp., occurred in the majority of the lakes. On the basis of chlorophyll a concentrations, nutrient levels and microplankton concentrations the lakes spanned the spectrum from ultra-oligotrophic to oligo/mesotrophic. The most saline lakes had much reduced species diversity compared with the less saline environments. Isolation from the marine environment has led to nutrient depletion, simplification and a truncated trophic structure. Received: 19 September 1996 / Accepted: 13 January 1997     

Daphniopsis studeri (Crustacea: Cladocera) in lakes of the Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

Summary The adult sizes and reproductive capabilities of populations of the cladoceran Daphniopsis studeri Rühe from freshwater and slightly saline lakes in the Vestfold Hills, Princess Elizabeth Land were monitored during December, 1990. The population of Crooked Lake was studied in detail from July 1990–March 1991. Limited samples were also obtained from Heard Island (sub Antarctic). Obligate parthenogenesis involving the production of subitaneous eggs appears to be the case. No males occurred. The overwintering populations of continental Antarctica consist mainly of adult females containing extensive fat reserves. The main reproductive effort occurs in spring. some females produce a smaller second brood during the summer. Reproductive output increases with adult size which is related to the nutrient status of the lake and its productivity. The Heard Island populations have a higher weight to length ratio than the Vestfold populations and have a much greater reproductive output.     

An environmental history of two freshwater lakes in the Larsemann Hills,Antarctica

The Larsemann Hills are a series of rocky peninsulas and islands in Prydz Bay at 69° 24 S and 76° 20 E. There is about 2000 km² of ice free land with well over 150 freshwater lakes spread evenly over the granite and gneiss hills. The nearshore islands were ice free by 9500 BP, while the present coastline was exposed by 4500 BP. A relatively steady rate of ice retreat is indicated, around 0.3 ma^–1. The two freshwater lakes studied so far have evolved from oligotrophic, proglacial lagoons to fresh or brackish lakes affected by periodic influxes of salt water from sea spray and surges produced by glacial calving. The diatom assemblages increase in species diversity following marine incursion or influence. The major changes are therefore due to the postglacial recovery of sea level, rather than any intrinsic chemical evolution of the lake waters.     

The breeding season diet of Adélie penguins at the Vestfold Hills,East Antarctica

The stomach contents of adult Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adéliae) were sampled at Magnetic Island, 4.5 km offshore from Davis Station, Antarctica. An intensive sampling program was conducted during the posthatching (mid-December to late February) part of the 1982–1983 breeding season, and during the prehatching (midOctober to mid-December) part of the 1983–1984 breeding season. Combining the samples from both seasons, weekly sampling covered almost the entire 4.5 months the penguins spent ashore at the breeding colonies and resulted in a total of 574 samples.Samples obtained prior to hatching were very small and consisted mostly of amphipods (14 species represented). During the chick rearing period, the weight of samples increased steadily. Euphausia crystallorophias was an important food item throughout the sampling period, particularly from hatching onwards. Euphasia superba also, occurred regularly. After a brief peak in late December, it was usually present but it was seldom the major component. Fish of ten species, predominantly Pleuragramma antarcticum, (up to 195 mm in length), became a significant component when the chicks formed crêches in early January. They became the principal dietary component at fledging in February.     

The annual cycle of heat content and mechanical stability of hypersaline Deep Lake,Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

Deep Lake, a hypersaline lake of about ten times seawater concentration, rarely freezes and is characterized by a monomictic thermal cycle, Winter circulation, at c. –17 °C, lasts for two to three months. In summer, epilimnetic temperatures from 7–11 °C result in large vertical thermal gradients (21–26 °C) which combine with the enhanced rate of density change per degree Celsius, accompanying such high salt concentration, to produce a particularly stable density configuration in Deep Lake (Schmidt stability c. 8000 g-cm cm^–2; 0.785 J cm^–2). The Birgean annual heat budget (c. 24500 cal cm^–2; 102.7 10³ J cm^–2) is comparable to that of a temperate lake with a similar mean depth, despite the comparatively high ratio of Birgean wind work to annual heat budget (0.37 g-cm cal^–1). Deep lake retains c. 50% of the incident solar radiation during the short summer heating period; within the range estimated for first class lakes in North America. Extended daylight hours certainly contribute to the high maximum rate of heating in the lake (444 cal cm^–2 day^–1; 1.86 10³ J cm^–2 day^–1). Deep Lake cools at a rate less than half its average heating rate. Partitioning the total stability into thermal and saline components shows that salinity can contribute up to c. 20% of the maximum summer Schmidt stability. In early summer, the effect of small melt-streams is to increase stability by diluting the epilimnion. In autumn, evaporative water loss can overtake this effect, creating small de-stabilizing salinity gradients. The usually short-term stabilizing influence of snowfall and drift is less predictable, but is probably more common in winter when strong winds are most frequent.Hypersalinity has a profound effect on the physical cycle of Deep Lake, through freezing point depression and the increased rate of density change with temperature. These changes affect the lake's biota, both in relation to osmotic stress, and by effectively exposing them to a more thermally extreme environment. A comparison between Deep Lake and a smaller lake of similar salinity (Lake Hunazoko, Skarvs Nes), demonstrates that it is inappropriate to consider the biological effects of salinity in isolation. The smaller lake offers warmer epilimnetic conditions for at least part of the summer, which may explain the much greater limnetic algal production in Lake Hunazoko.     

Animal associations with the dominant species of shallow water macrophytes along the coastline of the Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

Benthic grab samples, taken through core holes in sea-ice 1983, returned eight species of marine macrophytes which had associated fauna on at least one sample. A total of 24 animal taxa were found on these eight macrophytes. Phyllophora antarctica had a significantly greater biomass of attached fauna per unit of macrophyte biomass than any of the other seven species. It also had the greatest variety of epiphytic fauna (21 taxa). Phyllophora antarctica was the only macrophyte collected from comparatively protected Ellis Fjord, apart from filamentous algae, including Cladophora subsimplex and Geminocarpus austrogeorgiae, which were found in the most landward basin. It therefore played an important role in the ecology of the fjord. Palmaria decipiens was commonly collected at more exposed coastal sites and was dominant in Long Fjord, characterized here as intermediate in terms of water movement. Sixteen animal taxa were collected from this macrophyte with the greatest numbers being found in July and August. Only four animal taxa were collected from Iridaea cordata. The other five macrophyte species from which epiphytic animals were collected (Porphyra endiviifolium, Plocamium cartilagineum, Desmarestia menziesii, Himantothallus grandifolius and Cladophora subsimplex had animals associated with them on less than half the occasions when they were found.     

Diversity and community structure within anoxic sediment from marine salinity meromictic lakes and a coastal meromictic marine basin, Vestfold Hilds, Eastern Antarctica

16S rDNA clone library analysis was used to examine the biodiversity and community structure within anoxic sediments of several marine-type salinity meromictic lakes and a coastal marine basin located in the Vestfolds Hills area of Eastern Antarctica. From 69 to 130 (555 total) 16S rDNA clones were analysed from each sediment sample, and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequence analysis grouped the clones into 202 distinct phylotypes (a clone group with sequence similarity of > 0.98). A number of phylotypes and phylotype groups predominated in all libraries, with a group of 10 phylotypes (31% of clones) forming a novel deep branch within the low G + C Gram-positive division. Other abundant phylotypes detected in several different clone libraries grouped with Prochlorococcus cyanobacteria, diatom chloroplasts, delta proteobacteria ( Desulfosarcina group, Syntrophus and Geobacter / Pelobacter / Desulphuromonas group), order Chlamydiales (Parachlamydiaceae) and Spirochaetales (wall-less Antarctic spirochaetes). Most archaeal clones detected (3.1% of clones) belonged to a highly diverged group of Euryarchaeota clustering with clones previously detected in rice soil, aquifer sediments and hydrothermal vent material. Little similarity existed between the phylotypes detected in this study and other clone libraries based on marine sediment, suggesting that an enormous prokaryotic diversity occurs within marine and marine-derived sediments.     

Studies of viruses in penguins in the Vestfold Hills

Blood and cloacal swabs were collected from 1073 Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) in 13 separate colonies near Davis in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica. Three paramyxoviruses, distinct from Newcastle disease virus, were isolated from cloacal swabs obtained from penguins at three widely separated colonies. These isolates, together with others obtained from penguins in other areas of Antarctica, suggest that such viruses are widespread in antarctic penguins. Their significance in the ecology of antarctic penguins has not been determined. No evidence of infection with Newcastle disease virus or avian influenza virus was obtained during the survey.