Project information
Project aim
Antarctica is a desert continent dominated by micro-organisms. The seals and penguins, which are conspicuous around its margins, depend upon the sea for their food resources and are effectively part of the marine food chain. Life depends upon the availability of free water. In Antarctica water is usually locked up in ice, only in summer is there free water in the terrestrial environment. Not only is water limited, but low temperatures and low levels of nutrients severely limit the scope for growth among the micro-organisms that have managed to colonise the continent. Propagules are brought to the continent in a number of ways. Some arrive in the air masses that flow around the Earth. Once deposited some simply cannot survive the extreme conditions, while others may become established. Other species of micro-organism may be introduced by Man around the scientific stations on the continent. During the ice-ages which have occurred repeatedly through geological history, micro-organisms may have survived in refugia offered by nunataks or in the ice, and have recolonised more widely following ice retreat.
This project will concentrate on one group of micro-organisms, the fungi. We will use special air samplers to determine which species are brought to the continent in the winds and we will compare the propagules from these samplers with the species living in the ‘soil’ and samples grown up from ice samples, where the resting spores can remain dormant of hundreds of years.. We will analyse the communities of fungi that are found in the proximity of scientific stations and compare them with ‘natural’ communities in Antarctica, to determine what impact Man has had on introducing fungal species. The data generated will provide us with an insight into the colonisation of Antarctica by fungi. As global warming continues, species hitherto unable to establish may be able to do so. It is important to have a baseline on what is currently living on the continent, so that we can monitor the establishment of new species in the future.