Moss stable isotopes (carbon-13, oxygen-18) and testate amoebae reflect environmental inputs and microclimate along a latitudinal gradient on the Antarctic Peninsula

Royles, Jessica ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0489-6863; Amesbury, Matthew J.; Roland, Thomas P.; Jones, Glyn D.; Convey, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8497-9903; Griffiths, Howard; Hodgson, Dominic A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3841-3746; Charman, Dan J.. 2016 Moss stable isotopes (carbon-13, oxygen-18) and testate amoebae reflect environmental inputs and microclimate along a latitudinal gradient on the Antarctic Peninsula. Oecologia, 181 (3). 931-945. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-016-3608-3

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.

Preview

Text Royles.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

The stable isotope compositions of moss tissue water (δ2H and δ18O) and cellulose (δ13C and δ18O), and testate amoebae populations were sampled from 61 contemporary surface samples along a 600-km latitudinal gradient of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) to provide a spatial record of environmental change. The isotopic composition of moss tissue water represented an annually integrated precipitation signal with the expected isotopic depletion with increasing latitude. There was a weak, but significant, relationship between cellulose δ18O and latitude, with predicted source water inputs isotopically enriched compared to measured precipitation. Cellulose δ13C values were dependent on moss species and water content, and may reflect site exposure to strong winds. Testate amoebae assemblages were characterised by low concentrations and taxonomic diversity, with Corythion dubium and Microcorycia radiata types the most cosmopolitan taxa. The similarity between the intra- and inter-site ranges measured in all proxies suggests that microclimate and micro-topographical conditions around the moss surface were important determinants of proxy values. Isotope and testate amoebae analyses have proven value as palaeoclimatic, temporal proxies of climate change, whereas this study demonstrates that variations in isotopic and amoeboid proxies between microsites can be beyond the bounds of the current spatial variability in AP climate.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-016-3608-3
Programmes:	BAS Programmes > Antarctic Funding Initiative Projects BAS Programmes > BAS Programmes 2015 > Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptation BAS Programmes > BAS Programmes 2015 > Palaeo-Environments, Ice Sheets and Climate Change
ISSN:	0029-8549
Additional Keywords:	climate change, precipitation, water line, assemblage, microtopography
Date made live:	30 Mar 2016 08:54 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/510920

Actions (login required)

View Item

Document Downloads

More statistics for this item...