The World of Nematodes

We received more questions from Ms. Chamberlain’s class! Apparently, due to some very very cold weather in Michigan, some of them are ready to come down here and be research scientists, just to get a break from the cold!

1. How do you spend your time if you cannot go out and do research? – Amy

Amy, we had this problem a lot this year, with all the bad weather. We have a LOT of work to do, so when we can’t go out to the field, there is plenty for us to do in the lab. If we run out of things to do in the lab, well, then we get to explore McMurdo! There are plenty of things to do, such as climb Observation Hill - so named because that’s where men from the Terra Nova expedition hiked every day to look for Robert Falcon Scott and his team. It’s really high, so there is a good view of the Ross Sea, and Scott’s men were expecting him back after he reached the South Pole. Unfortunately, he never made it back. You can read more about Scott and his Antarctic expeditions here; it’s a fascinating but sad story.

If you prefer skiing, there are plenty of marked trails near McMurdo to explore. We can also take a short walk to Hut Point, where Scott built a hut during the Discovery Expedition (1901-1904). If you get permission and a guide, you can even take a tour of the hut, preserved as Scott left it! The sea ice tends to break up right there, so it’s one of the best places to spot a seal, whale or penguin close to McMurdo! Below are some photos of our tour of Scott’s Hut. Click on the picture below to go to more pictures from our tour of Scott’s Hut.

2. How long was the flight from the U.S. to New Zealand? – Kevin

Kevin, the flight from LAX to Aukland takes about 14 hours, although it’s faster on the way back (here is some info on why that happens). Because the flight is so long, they feed us dinner, turn off the lights to let us sleep, and then feed us breakfast the next morning before we land. There is a television for each seat, with movies and television and even video games. We try to sleep for as much of it as we can, which helps prevent jet lag once we get there.

3. How long do you stay in Antarctica? – Ryan

That all depends on how much we have to do, Ryan. We study soil animals, so we wait for them to become active before heading down. When the water in the soil is frozen, so are the animals. Typically the soil is warm enough by early to mid December for the animals to start becoming active. At the end of the season, the people who run McMurdo Station want us off the ice so they can begin to prepare for winter (typically the end of February), so we are racing against their deadline to get done. It’s a short season, but we get a lot accomplished.

4. What is your favorite item to test? – Taylor

I think that depends on which one of us you ask! Diana and Breana really like to look at live nematodes, so they like to do experiments that involve a lot of microscope work, such as counting and identifying nematodes, or making cultures of nematodes to use in experiments. They are biologists and are interested in how nematodes respond to environmental pressure, such as an increase in temperature, moisture, nutrients, or other animals. Byron is our resident DNA expert, so he likes to squash the critters and see what makes them tick, genetically speaking. He studies the evolution of soil animals, and asks questions like, “Where did these nematodes come from? How long have they been here? What is in their DNA that allows them to freeze over the winter?” You can read all about Byron’s research on his website, BYU Nematode Evolution Lab. Ed probably likes to measure soil CO₂ the most, because there is a fancy gadget for it. But his favorite experiment is probably the one we started last year, when he sterilized the soil and is waiting to see which animals will colonize the sterile soil first. You can read more about that experiment here.

There is also a running joke in McMurdo, “Who can create the most awesome dessert using soft serve ice-cream (aka Frosty Boy)?” We do this test every evening, and so far, Byron is winning.

5. We just learned about the Antarctic Treaty. How do the provisions in the treaty affect your research? – Ann Marie

The treaty is important to us because it’s a pact between countries designating Antarctica a place of research, with freedom of investigation and scientific operation. There can be no military activity, and the continent runs without a government. This is possible because all the separate bases operate under the same principle of scientific discovery, and that means we can go anywhere we want and collaborate with anyone we want. Cooperation between treaty-states (those countries who signed the treaty) is incredibly important when working in such an extreme system. The Treaty also protects Antarctica from nuclear activity and radioactive waste, keeping it free of pollution for future research. Basically, the framework set in place by the countries who have agreed to the terms of the Treaty indirectly allow us to do exciting work in a pristine environment.

Ms. Chamberlain’s class at Froebel School in Charlotte, Michigan have asked us some questions.

1. What is the coldest it has been since you have been down there? - Tony A

Tony, the temperatures have been pretty mild, actually, maybe even warmer than in Michigan! The coldest temperature we saw was 15F, or about -9C. Because it’s summer here right now, the temperatures tend to hover around 29F, which is just below freezing. One day we got all the way up to 42F! It was downright tropical! The biggest problem we’ve had has been wind and snow. There has been an unusual amount of precipitation in McMurdo, with gusting winds, and we can’t fly on those days, so it sets our schedule back.

2. What is the warmest it has been since you have been down there? - Kevin

Kevin, we made it to 42F one day! I checked the weather for January in Charlotte, MI (you can do it too, on Weather Underground!) and compared it to the weather in McMurdo. I discovered that the average temperature where you live was 26F, which is colder than it was in McMurdo for the same time period!

3. What exactly are nematode and are there different species of nematodes? - Dan

Dan, nematodes are also called roundworms, and are one of the most abundant animals on earth. There are over 80,000 described species of nematode so far. They live in all sorts of environments: soils, water, plants and even other animals! For more information on nematodes click here.

4. What are the nematodes being tested for and what are the results used for? - Alexa

Alexa, we study the nematodes in order to understand their biology (morphology, physiology, adaptive strategies, reproduction, etc.) and ecology (interactions with biotic and abiotic factors such as climate, microbial resources, etc). That’s the short answer, but it contains a lot of confusing terminology, so let’s break it down. We study nematode biology, which can be very simple or very complex. We ask questions like, “How many species do we have? How long do they live? How big are they? How do they survive the winter? What do they eat? How often do they reproduce? How many eggs do they make at one time? Are there more males than females? Which genes control their ability to tolerate freezing temperatures? Are the species changing, and if so, are they becoming genetically more similar or more different to one another?” These questions contribute to our fundamental knowledge of one of the most abundant and important animal groups on earth.

We also study nematode ecology, which tends to be more complicated because it’s all about interactions. We ask questions like, “From where did the current populations originate? How are they dispersing? What is the effect of increased temperature on populations? What is the relationship between microbes and nematodes? What is the relationship between nematodes and other soil animals? Which abiotic (non-living) variables most affect nematode distribution? Which nematodes are most resistant to disturbance?” Like studying nematode biology, finding the answers to these questions help us to understand basic ecological principles that can be applied to other ecosystems.

We have a very special system in Antarctica. We have very few species of soil animals, no vascular plants (plants with root systems), and no macrofauna (large animals). Imagine how hard it is to ask these same questions in the tropical rain forests, where there are so many species of plants and animals that you need several dozen experts just to identify them!

These are great questions, and we look forward to hearing from you more!

Also, we posed a question to all of you a couple of weeks ago, “What do YOU think will happen if the permafrost melts?” We got answers from two students in Ms. Chamberlain’s class!

Michael F says, “I believe that it will greatly effect the nematode population as well as raise water levels world wide. If there isn’t any small bacteria for the fish to eat, then they will out causing the penguins to die out.”

Stephanie says, “If the permafrost melts, I believe that eventually the creatures that depend on the cold may migrate or die off. Also, when all the glaciers melt, they could possibly flood over part of the dry land in Antarctica and cause an under water world like Atlantis. The melted permafrost could soften the dirt and cause the edges to be unstable.”

These are great answers! We agree, Michael F, that melting permafrost will affect nematode populations, we’re just not exactly sure HOW yet. We have some evidence that it will increase soil moisture and water flow in the region, causing flooding. We know from current experiments that at least one nematode species, Scottnema lindsayae, does NOT like wet soil. So, if we’re right, and the valleys get significantly wetter, that might be the end of our poor Scottnema! Like Stephanie says, they will either die out, have to move to dry ground or quickly adapt to wet soils.

Stephanie also raises an interesting point, if the permafrost melts, it could make the soil unstable. Because the permafrost is below the soil surface, any significant melt would cause the soil to become saturated, and potentially even cave in! We recently had a discussion with another LTER scientist, Diane McKnight, who is currently studying a stream in another valley that runs UNDERGROUND. The stream starts aboveground, then dives into the soil where the some of the permafrost has melted. It has always been thought that the banks of the streams are formed by the flow of the water, but now Diane speculates that for some streams in cold climates, as the permafrost melts, the soil above it collapses, causing high flow streams with steep banks. How cool is that?

We must admit we don’t know very much about penguins, or the effect melting permafrost would have on them, but you could check out a fellow scientist, David Ainley, to see what he thinks the future of the penguins looks like! For more info on penguins in the Antarctic, click here.

Breana and Ed went to Howard Glacier to collect some collembolans for Angela McGaughrin, a PhD student in New Zealand who is studying their genetics. The Collembola live under flat pebbles in damp areas of the Dry Valleys near streams and lakes. They can be quite abundant in these areas, with tens of individuals under a single hand-sized rock.

Breana and Ed collected about 200 Collembola and placed them in a container with soil and rocks to keep them happy. The container was sent over to Scott Base, the New Zealand base in Antarctica, once they got back to McMurdo.

The glacier is made of ice and about 40-50 meters high at its face. Here you can just make out Breana in front of the glacier.

Breana in front of Howard Glacier

Along the front of the glacier there were several chunks of insulating foam that probably came from a survival cache that exploded two years ago in a big storm. Breana was not impressed…

Each year McMurdo hosts a marathon. This year, Byron Adams ran the 1/2 marathon, and Ed Ayres ran the full marathon. The route for the full marathon starts on the ice shelf near Scott Base, goes past Willy Field airport, and on to Pegasus airport, where you turn around and head back the same way. The half marathon uses the same route going from Pegasus towards Scott Base.

The weather was perfect by Antarctic standards - barely any wind, blue skies, but cold enough to keep the ice we were running on frozen (nobody likes running through slushy snow!)

On your marks…

After 4 hours 38 minutes Ed crossed the finished line.

Byron finished the 1/2 marathon in 2 hours and 16 minutes. Way to go guys!!

Cape Royds is a very special place, both historically and ecologically. Discovered by Robert Falcon Scott during the British Antarctic Expedition (1901-1904) and used by Shackleton during the Nimrod Expedition (1908-1909) this bit of land also contains an Adelie Penguin rookery.

We were hunting Panagralaimus davidi, a species of nematode known to inhabit penguin rookeries. We applied for a special permit to enter the rookery to take samples, and were met at the helicopter pad by David Ainley, an expert in these birds. He welcomed us to the rookery and told us where he thought we might have some luck with our sampling.

It was very exciting on two counts: one, we were in a penguin rookery! and two, we were hunting Panagraliamus, a species of nematode that neither Ed nor Breana had ever seen before. Nematodes being microscopic, we have a lot of pictures of penguins, but none of the nematodes.

Adult Adelie penguins with their chicks

The rookery is home to several thousand penguins

Several penguins were eating snow to get water

The penguins aren’t scared of people and this one came close to Ed, Diana, and Breana

Small icebergs by the rookery

Click on any picture to see more photos of us and our field season!

This year, Ross and Diana were determined to find life in their eponymous valleys. We talked a bit about these areas last year. Ross and Diana sampled the soils in these two valleys but unfortunately didn’t find anything living in the soil! Talk about a bummer!

This season we had information from a Kiwi colleague that there were nematodes in those areas, so Diana and Ross decided to try again. They flew on a Bell 212 with Byron and Ed out to Virginia and Wall Valleys. They took a TON of samples.

Diana and Ross get excited about visiting “their” soils.

From left: Ross, Ed, Diana, Jena (Helo-tech) and Barry (Pilot) after sampling.

Diana Wall in Wall Valley

Wall Valley

Endoliths are organisms that live inside rocks in harsh conditions. Both Wall and Virginia Valleys contain endolithic communities. People who study Mars are really into endoliths, which is why people who study Mars also study in the Dry Valleys.

Wall Valley is adjacent to The Labyrinth, a geological formation that looks like a maze!

They also flew over the Onyx River, the longest river in Antarctica.

After returning home they were able to extract rotifers and tardigrades, but didn’t find a single nematode. This is getting very irritating! Can you imagine being famous for studying nematodes and not finding any nematodes in the valley that is NAMED after you?

Sometimes, when we think of a new experiment, we have to test it out first, to see how well it will work here in Antarctica. This year, we wanted to try an experiment involving permafrost. Specifically, we want to melt it to see what happens to the soils. This is the expected outcome of global warming, and is currently happening in the Arctic. It’s only a matter of time before Antarctic permafrost starts melting, and the sooner we can gather information, the better. What do YOU think will happen if the permafrost melts?

We decided to put out a black cloth to trap heat and warm the soil underneath. Then we will take soil samples for microbial and animal response and measure changes in temperature, moisture and carbon dioxide flux. But before we could do this, we had to test it out in a place that isn’t as fragile as Taylor Valley. We chose a spot near Arrival Heights, a protected area used for research by the United States Antarctic Program and Antarctica New Zealand.

First we traced the shape of the cloth and dug a trench all the way around.

We staked the cloth into the trench, hoping it would hold up through the winter. Then we backfilled the trench, covering the edges of the cloth. For even more protection, we put heavy rocks on the corners. Hopefully we will be able to see a response from this experiment, and be able to put it out near F6 camp. Another good thing about a “test run” is that you get some practice setting up the experiment. Ed and Breana learned some very important lessons about digging, hammering stakes, and moving rocks that will benefit them in the future. Especially if they quit science and take up trench-digging.

We will be back next year to see how well it held up over winter, and whether or not it warmed up the soil underneath it.

This year, the McMurdo LTER is being reviewed by the National Science Foundation. This happens to every LTER during its funding cycle. Unlike other grants, Long Term Ecological Research grants are for six years (hence long term), so at three years a team is sent to review the science and give recommendations based on their findings. It’s a good thing, but a bit stressful for us.

In all, the site review team consisted of five researchers in various fields and three NSF program officers.

Our LTER currently consists of 7 Principle Investigators (PIs), from left, Dr. Berry Lyons (Ohio State University), Dr. Diana Wall (Colorado State University), Dr. Andrew Fountain (Portland State University), Dr. Peter Doran (University of Illinois - Chicago), Dr. Diane McKnight (University of Colorado - Boulder) and Dr. Ross Virginia (Dartmouth College). Not pictured: Dr. John Priscu(Montana State University).

The site review team was given a whirlwind tour of our research in the valleys, which is an integrated program connecting the landscape units in the dry valleys, from glaciers to streams to lakes to soils. We work really hard to make sure that all our research is connected, not just to each other, but to the scientific community at large.

After interviewing everyone and visiting all the sites, the review team, “gave us an A!” and some great feedback. We hope they all enjoyed themselves, and maybe learned a little something, too.

The bad weather knocked us out for a few days, but we’re back on, thank goodness! We have a very short amount of time to work down here, so we have to make the most of it.

Today Ed and Breana flew out to the south side of Lake Hoare to treat the BEE plots and change the chambers. BEE stands for Biotic Effects Experiment, where we are warming (ITEX chambers) and wetting (5.6 L millipure water) the soil, simulating climate change. See, we expect that with global warming, water will become more available in the Dry Valleys.

We have evidence of this from the austral summer of 2001-2002, when warmer summer temperatures caused massive melting of snow packs, glaciers, permafrost, etc. This water all came tumbling down into the lakes, in fact, even washing out some of our BEE plots at Lake Bonney!

A famous exchange from that season:
Berry Lyons, Geochemist, “Diana, why did you put your plots in a stream?”
Diana Wall, Head Wormherder, “I DIDN’T!!”

At any rate, this year we had to apply the water and change all the chambers. The katabatic winds in the valleys sandblast our chambers, and every few years we have to put out new ones, because the old ones become very scratched and brittle. Because of the wind, we use bungee cords and strong wire harnesses to hold the chambers down. These have to be replaced too. It’s not a tough job, so Ed and I volunteered to do it and spent a few hours across from the Lake Hoare camp, working peacefully in the sun and periodically calling Lake Hoare on the radio.

Then we flew to F6 to do the same thing. By this point, we were very fast at changing chambers, so we had lots of time to sit in the hut and drink tea. It’s a tough life!

We’ve just been informed of the passing of Sir Edmund Hillary.

Last year many of us were fortunate enough to meet Sir Ed when he was here celebrating the 50th anniversary of Scott Base. Hillary was a member of the team that founded and built Scott Base in 1957, and he was first to drive to the South Pole as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. He was an incredible adventurer, and a very nice man.