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Signatories to the Antarctic Treaty System's Environmental Protocol are committed to preventing incursions of non-native species into Antarctica, but systematic surveillance is rare. Environmental DNA (eDNA)…
Bryophytes are the group of land plants with the lowest photosynthetic rates, which was considered to be a consequence of their higher anatomical CO2 diffusional limitation compared with tracheophytes. However…
Antarctic moss beds are sensitive to climatic conditions, and both their survival and community composition are particularly influenced by the availability of liquid water over summer. As Antarctic regions increasingly face climate pressures (e.g., changing hydrology and heat waves)…
Global fungal diversity is estimated to range in the millions, yet it remains severely underexplored, especially in extreme environments. Fewer than 5% of species have been officially identified and characterised. Estimates suggest that 70%–90% of soil fungi remain uncultivable…
Life at Robinson Ridge, located in the Windmill Islands region of East Antarctica, is susceptible to a changing climate. At this site, responses of the vegetation communities and moss-beds have been well researched, but corresponding information for microbial counterparts is still lacking.
Background and Aims … Coping with both UV-B radiation and desiccation was essential for early land plants. In bryophytes, UV-B screening and desiccation tolerance partially depend on the physicochemical features of cell walls, which may also constrain photosynthesis.
Long-term observations are essential for ecological research, providing insights into species and ecosystem variability, processes, and responses to change. In a time of rapid global change, ecosystem modification, and emerging threats, such long-term monitoring (LTM) is increasingly important.
Airborne environmental DNA (airborne eDNA) analysis leverages the globally ubiquitous medium of air to deliver broad species distribution data and support ecosystem monitoring across diverse environments. As this emerging technology matures…
Antarctica is one of Earth's most untouched, inhospitable, and poorly known regions. Although knowledge of its biodiversity has increased over recent decades, a diverse, wide-ranging…
Antarctica, Earth's least understood and most remote continent, is threatened by human disturbances and climate-related changes, underscoring the imperative for biodiversity inventories to inform conservation. Antarctic ecosystems support unique species and genetic diversity…
Mapping Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) remains a critical yet challenging task, especially in extreme environments like Antarctica. Traditional methods are often cumbersome, expensive, and risky, with limited satellite data further hindering accuracy.
Planktonic Foraminifera are unique paleo-environmental indicators through their excellent fossil record in ocean sediments. Their distribution and diversity are affected by different environmental factors including anthropogenically forced ocean and climate change. Until now…
Antarctica has experienced major changes in temperature, wind speed and stratospheric ozone levels over the last 50 years. Whilst West Antarctica and the peninsula have shown rapid warming and consequent ecosystem change, East Antarctica appeared to be little impacted by climate warming…
Fuel spills have occurred in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions, and comprehensive remediation strategies have recently been established to clean-up fuel spills at Australia’s Casey Station and Macquarie Island. However…
Numerous fuel spills associated with human activities in Antarctica have occurred and significant levels of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination have been reported near Antarctic stations.
Special Antarctic Blend (SAB) is a light end diesel fuel, comprised mainly of petroleum hydrocarbons (alkanes nC9-C14, trace levels of nC15-23). It is used as the main source for power generation at Australia’s Research Stations in Antarctica and the subantarctic, including Macquarie Island.
Livestock was often released onto remote Southern Ocean islands as a food source for shipwreck survivors during the industrial whaling and sealing era. Although animals were put ashore at nearby Isles Kerguelen and Crozet…
The parties to the Montreal Protocol are informed by three panels of experts. One of these is the … Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP), which deals with two focal issues. The first focus is … the effects of increased UV radiation on human health, animals, plants, biogeochemistry…
Antarctic krill (hereafter krill) is the key species of the Antarctic marine ecosystem as well as a target of commercial fishery in the Southern Ocean, which compels careful predictions about potential impacts of Ocean Acidification (OA)…
Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is a minor fraction of the solar spectrum reaching the ground surface. In this assessment we summarize the results of previous work on the effects of the UV-B component (280-315 nm) on terrestrial ecosystems…
The Antarctic has experienced major changes in temperature, wind speed and stratospheric ozone levels during the last 50 years. However until recently continental Antarctica appeared to be little impacted by climate warming, thus biological changes were predicted to be relatively slow.