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Biological soil crusts in continental Antarctica: Garwood Valley, southern Victoria Land, and Diamond Hill, Darwin Mountains region

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2013

Claudia Colesie ,
Maxime Gommeaux ,
T.G. Allan Green  and
Burkhard Büdel
Claudia Colesie*
Affiliation:
Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, PO Box 3049, 67653 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Maxime Gommeaux
Affiliation:
GEGENAA, EA 3795, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, 2 Esplanade Roland Garros, 51100 Reims, France
T.G. Allan Green
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Vegetal II, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, 3240 Hamilton, New Zealand
Burkhard Büdel
Affiliation:
Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, PO Box 3049, 67653 Kaiserslautern, Germany
*
claudia.colesie@biologie.uni-kl.de
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Abstract

Biological soil crusts are associations of lichens, mosses, algae, cyanobacteria, microfungi and bacteria in different proportions forming a thin veneer within the top centimetres of soil surfaces. They occur in all biomes, but particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, even in the most extreme climates. They carry out crucial ecosystem functions, such as soil stabilization, influencing water and nutrient cycles, and contribute to the formation of microniches for heterotrophic life. In continental Antarctica especially, these roles are essential because no higher plants provide such ecosystem services. We provide a detailed description of biological soil crusts from Garwood Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys region (78°S) and Diamond Hill (80°S) in the Darwin Mountains region. The coverage was low at 3.3% and 0.8% of the soil surface. At Garwood Valley the crusts were composed of green algal lichens, cyanobacteria, several species of green algae and the moss Hennediella heimii (Hedw.) R.H. Zander. Diamond Hill crusts appear to be unique in not having any species of cyanobacteria. Major parts are embedded in the soil, and their thickness correlates with higher chlorophyll contents, higher soil organic carbon and nitrogen, which are fundamental components of this species poor cold desert zone.

Keywords

ecosystem functioninglichensMcMurdo Dry Valleysmossessoil organic carbon contentssoil stabilization
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 115 - 123
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2013 

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