Simple Summary To understand how the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica (MCM) will
respond to climate change, it is necessary to understand how dominant organisms in the
ecosystem respond to fluctuations in temperature and water availability. We studied the
effect of temperature on the metabolic activity of Plectus murrayi, a widespread nematode in
the MCM. By analyzing heat produced by metabolism along with CO2 production and O2
consumption, we found P. murrayi reaches peak metabolic activity at 40° C, an unexpectedly …

Because of climate change, the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica (MCM) have experienced
an increase in the frequency and magnitude of summer pulse warming and surface ice and
snow melting events. In response to these environmental changes, some nematode species
in the MCM have experienced steady population declines over the last three decades, but
Plectus murrayi, a mesophilic nematode species, has responded with a steady increase in
range and abundance. To determine how P. murrayi responds to increasing temperatures …