Cryoconite – From minerals and organic matter to bioengineered sediments on glacier's surfaces

Rozwalak, Piotr; Podkowa, Paweł; Buda, Jakub; Niedzielski, Przemysław; Kawecki, Szymon; Ambrosini, Roberto; Azzoni, R.; Baccolo, Giovanni; Ceballos, Jorge Luís; Cook, Joseph M.; Mauro, Biagio Di; Ficetola, Gentile Francesco; Franzetti, Andrea; Ignatiuk, Dariusz; Klimaszyk, Piotr; Łokas, Edyta; Ono, Masato; Parnikoza, Іvan; Pietryka, Mirosława; Pittino, Francesca; Poniecka, Ewa; Porazinska, Dorota L.; Richter, Dorota; Schmidt, Steven K.; Sommers, Pacifica; Souza, Juliana Silva; Stibal, Marek; Szczuciński, Witold; Uetake, Jun; Wejnerowski, Łukasz; Yde, Jacob C.; Takeuchi, Nozomu; Zawierucha, Krzysztof

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150874

Cited by 51 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…or ice algae (Streptophyta). Moreover, cryoconite granules, which are “feeders” for invertebrates are organic matter rich and contain many different algae species [ 17 , 82 ]. The last two eukaryotes common in both cryoconite and tardigrades were Rhogostoma and Cercozoa , which were found also on glaciers in McMurdo Dry Valleys [ 75 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic and symbiotic links between obligate-glacier water bears (Tardigrada) and cryoconite microorganisms

et al. 2022

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Insights into biodiversity and trophic webs are important for understanding ecosystem functions. Although the surfaces of glaciers are one of the most productive and biologically diverse parts of the cryosphere, the links between top consumers, their diet and microbial communities are poorly understood. In this study, for the first time we investigated the relationships between bacteria, fungi and other microeukaryotes as they relate to tardigrades, microscopic metazoans that are top consumers in cryoconite, a biologically rich and productive biogenic sediment found on glacier surfaces. Using metabarcoding (16S rDNA for bacteria, ITS1 for fungi, and 18S rDNA for other microeukaryotes), we analyzed the microbial community structures of cryoconite and compared them with the community found in both fully fed and starved tardigrades. The community structure of each microbial group (bacteria, fungi, microeukaryotes) were similar within each host group (cryoconite, fully fed tardigrades and starved tardigrades), and differed significantly between groups, as indicated by redundancy analyses. The relative number of operational taxonomic units (ZOTUs, OTUs) and the Shannon index differed significantly between cryoconite and tardigrades. Species indicator analysis highlighted a group of microbial taxa typical of both fully fed and starved tardigrades (potential commensals), like the bacteria of the genera Staphylococcus and Stenotrophomonas, as well as a group of taxa typical of both cryoconite and fully fed tardigrades (likely part of the tardigrade diet; bacteria Flavobacterium sp., fungi Preussia sp., algae Trebouxiophyceae sp.). Tardigrades are consumers of bacteria, fungi and other microeukaryotes in cryoconite and, being hosts for diverse microbes, their presence can enrich the microbiome of glaciers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic and symbiotic links between obligate-glacier water bears (Tardigrada) and cryoconite microorganisms

et al. 2022

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“…For instance, on the Greenland Ice Sheet and in Antarctic regions, cryoconite holes are more stable than those that form on temperate mountain glaciers. On Himalayan glaciers, they can sometimes last for more than one year 7 , 9 , but on other temperate mountain glaciers as in the Alps, they are mostly ephemeral structures that can be destroyed by strong ablation that can quickly dismantle them washing away the sediment. The intense solar radiation can subsequently form new holes in a few days 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographical variability of bacterial communities of cryoconite holes of Andean glaciers

Pittino

Ambrosini

Seeger

et al. 2023

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Cryoconite holes, ponds full of melting water with sediment on the bottom, are hotspots of biodiversity on glacier surfaces and host dynamic micro-ecosystems. They have been extensively investigated in different areas of the world (e.g., the Arctic, Antarctic, Alps, and Himalaya), but so far no study has described the bacterial communities of the glaciers in the Andes, the world’s longest mountain range. In this study, we describe the bacterial communities of three small (< 2 km2) high-elevation (< 4200 m a.s.l.) glaciers of the Central Andes (Iver, East Iver and Morado glaciers) and two large (> 85 km2) glaciers of the Patagonian Andes (Exploradores and Perito Moreno glaciers) whose ablation tongues reach low altitude (< 300 m a.s.l.). Results show that the bacterial communities were generally similar to those observed in the cryoconite holes of other continents, but with few cyanobacteria (0.5% of sequences). The most abundant orders were Betaproteobacteriales, Cytophagales, Chitinophagales, Acetobacterales, Frankiales, Armatimonadales, Sphingobacteriales, Rhizobiales, Bacteroidales, Sphingomonadales, and Micrococcales. The bacterial communities differed between glaciers and both water pH and O2 concentration appeared to influence the bacterial community composition. This work thus provides the first description of the bacterial communities in cryoconite holes of South American glaciers.

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“…Thin cryoconite layers on glacier surfaces has the potential to absorb solar radiation due to its low reflectivity, and can form cylindrical depressions on the glacier surface known as 'cryoconite holes' (Fountain et al 2004;Telling et al 2012). These serve as habitats for autotrophic microorganisms, including bacteria, algae (Anesio et al 2009) and as well as other heterotrophic microbial communities in the wider glacial ecosystem (Zarsky et al 2013;Nicholes et al 2019;Rozwalak et al 2022). Due to the presence of liquid water, light, and nutrients (Stibal et al 2008) during the ablation period, microorganisms in cryoconite holes can display significant rates of metabolism (Foreman et al 2007;Edwards et al 2011) with high primary production and respiration rates that are comparable to those of eutrophic ecosystems in warmer regions (Anesio et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors controlling the net ecosystem production of cryoconite on Western Himalayan glaciers

et al. 2022

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In situ experiments were conducted to determine the Net Ecosystem Production (NEP) in cryoconite holes from the surface of two glaciers (Patsio glacier and Chhota Shigri glacier) in the Western Himalaya during the melt season from August to September 2019. The study aimed to gain an insight into the factors controlling microbial activity on glacier surfaces in this region. A wide range of parameters, including sediment thickness, TOC %, TN %, chlorophyll-a concentration, altitudinal position, and grain size of the cryoconite mineral particles were considered as potential controlling factors. From redundancy analysis, the rate of Respiration observed in cryoconite at Chhota Shigri glacier was predominantly explained by sediment thickness in cryoconite holes (37.1 % of the total variance, p < 0.05) with Photosynthesis largely explained by the chlorophyll-a content of the sediment (39.6 %, p < 0.05). NEP was explained primarily by the TOC content and sediment thickness in cryoconite holes (35.8 % and 22.1 % respectively, p < 0.05). The altitudinal position of the cryoconite is strongly correlated with biological activity, suggesting that the stability of cryoconite holes was an important factor driving primary productivity and respiration rate on the surface of Chhota Shigri glacier. We calculated that the number of melt seasons required to accumulate organic carbon in thin sediment layers (<0.3 cm), based on our measured NEP rates, ranged from 11 to 70 years, indicating that the organic carbon in cryoconite holes largely derives from allochthonous inputs, such as elsewhere on the glacier surface. Phototrophic biomass in the same thin sediment layer of cryoconite was estimated to take atleast 4 months to be produced in situ (with mean estimated time upto 1.7 ± 1.5 years). Organic matter accumulated inside the cryoconite holes both through allochthonous deposition 2 and via biological activity on the glacier surface in these areas may have the potential to export dissolved organic matter and associated nutrients to downstream ecosystems. Given the importance of Himalayan glaciers as a vital water source for millions of people downstream, this study highlights the need for further investigation in aspects of the quantification of in situ produced organic matter and its impact on supraglacial melting in the Himalaya.

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Cryoconite – From minerals and organic matter to bioengineered sediments on glacier's surfaces

Cited by 51 publications

References 70 publications

Trophic and symbiotic links between obligate-glacier water bears (Tardigrada) and cryoconite microorganisms

Trophic and symbiotic links between obligate-glacier water bears (Tardigrada) and cryoconite microorganisms

Geographical variability of bacterial communities of cryoconite holes of Andean glaciers

Factors controlling the net ecosystem production of cryoconite on Western Himalayan glaciers

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