Diversity of ice-free terrestrial ecosystems in continental Antarctica

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24510022
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental dynamic analysis
• Research Institution: National Institute of Polar Research
• Principal Investigator: UCHIDA MASAKI 国立極地研究所, 研究教育系, 准教授 (70370096)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OSONO Takashi 京都大学, 生態学研究センター, 准教授 (90335307) ; TANABE Yukiko 国立極地研究所, 研究教育系, 助教 (40550752)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 物質循環 / 南極 / 陸上生態系 / 多様性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Ice-free regions of continental Antarctica, comprising only about 2-3% of the continent, are not only cold and arid but also remote and isolated, imposing strong selection pressures and dispersal limitations on the establishment of organisms. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the terrestrial ecosystem composition and function in Lutzow-Holm Bay area, East Antarctica.
Plant coverage varied greatly from site to site. There was no relationships between glacier retreat age and number of plant species, coverage, soil microbial biomass and soil carbon and nitrogen contents. It was observed that relationship between stable carbon isotope and stable nitrogen isotope in each sampling site. However, there was no clear relationship when we considered all sampling sites. It could suggest that moss and soil microfungi has a dispersal limitation and establish unique patchy ecosystem in this area.

Free Research Field

生態系生態学