New Zealand Terrestrial Biocomplexity Survey

Study Extent

All samples were collected on foot by hand from each location. All samples were collected during the month of January in each sampling year.

Sampling

Initially a 220 km2 study area, consisting of Miers, Marshall, and Garwood Valleys as well as Shangri-La, was divided into more than 600 geographically and geologically distinct ice-free sectors (hereinafter “tiles”) using remote-sensing data and published soil maps. Tile boundaries were delineated where the combination of geographical and geological variables changed, and on-the-ground assessments were carried out in November 2008 to confirm the reliability of delineations. 554 tiles were chosen for sampling to encompass the entire range of geographical and geological heterogeneity. Sampling of soils and biological communities was carried out over two successive austral summers (January 2009 and January 2010). Surveys were conducted for vegetation (i.e., mosses, lichens, algal and cyanobacterial mats), lithic microbial communities, and invertebrates at each sampling site (verified by GPS to be inside its respective tile), followed by collection of bulk soil samples for additional analyses, including molecular analyses of bacteria (total and cyanobacteria-only) and fungi. In addition, a number of key variables were derived from satellite imagery, including surface soil temperature, a topographically derived ‘wetness index’, and distance to the coast. After quality control, data for 490 samples were included in the analysis.

Quality Control

All samples were collected using sterile techniques and transferred frozen to the laboratory for continued analysis

Method steps

1. Sample locations were determined as the centroids within each tile.
2. Soil was collected from the upper 2-4 cm after removal of any larger rocks that were lying on the surface.

1. Bacteria
   common name: Bacteria rank: domain
2. Bacteria
   common name: Cyanobacteria rank: kingdom
3. Archaea
   common name: Archaea rank: domain
4. Eukaryote
   common name: Eukaryote rank: domain
5. Eukaryote
   common name: Protist rank: kingdom

McMurdo Dry Valleys