McMurdo Dry Valleys Airborn Sediment Traps / Aeolian Distribution of Soil Biota

Dispersal of soil organisms is crucial for their spatial distribution and adaptation to the prevailing conditions of the Antarctic Dry Valleys. This study investigate the possibility of wind dispersal of soil invertebrates within the dry valleys. Soil invertebrates were evaluated in wind-transported dust particles in collection pans (Bundt pans) 100 cm above the soil surface. Three species of nematode were recovered and Scottnema lindsayae was the most dominant. There were more juveniles (71%) in the transported sediments than adults (29%). The abundance of immobile (dead) nematodes in the Bundt pans was three times higher than active (live) nematodes. Anhydrobiosis constitutes a survival mechanism that allows wind dispersal of nematodes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.