There are many IPY projects studying Polar Flora, Fauna, and Ecology and several of these projects also are members of other collectives focussing on the Arctic and Antarctic. For more information, please see:

Conservation for Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic (EBA)


Examples of some of these project areas are described below in the following topics:
Arctic Adaptations
Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic
Soil Ecosystems in the Antarctic Dry Valleys
Springtails
Nemetodes


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Arctic Adaptations

The International Tundra Experiment is a network of researchers examining the impacts of climate change on tundra vegetation throughout the Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine regions of the world. The goals of the networks are to document, understand and forecast changes in the tundra biome. For more information, images and links, please visit the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) page on www.IPY.org, or the ITEX website.

The following posters have been provided by Robert Hollister, from ITEX. For more information, and contact details, please see our Meet The Scientists page.

Download as powerpoints: Arctic Adaptations Poster Climate Change Impacts







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Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic (EBA)

Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic: The Response of Life to Change, or EBA, is an international, multidisciplinary programme that has been approved by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) for 2006 - 2013.

EBA seeks to:
1. Understand the evolution and diversity of life in the Antarctic;
2. Determine how these have influenced the properties and dynamics of present
Antarctic ecosystems and the Southern Ocean system;
3. Make predictions on how organisms and communities are responding and will
respond to current and future environmental change; and
4. Identify EBA science outcomes that are relevant to conservation policy and
communicate this science via the SCAR Antarctic Treaty System Committee.

EBA aims to facilitate collaboration between key researchers from other disciplines through workshops and conferences and maximize international and multidisciplinary involvement.

By integrating research in marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in a manner never before attempted, EBA hopes to advance evolutionary and ecological science globally using model systems and organisms from the Antarctic.

Here is a full list of projects and contacts studying evolution and biodiversity in the Antarctic

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Springtails

Thanks to Ian Hogg and Byron Adams for images and text. Both are happy to be contacted,- see the Meet The Scientists page for biographies and details.


Morulina mackenziana from Igloolik in the Canadian Arctic. One of the largest springtails found in either polar region. Photo Barry O'Brien

Springtails, or Collembola, are primitive insect-like animals with 6 legs. Together with insects they are generally referred to as "Hexapods" (referring to the fact that they have six feet). They are the most widely distributed hexapods on earth ranging to within a few hundred kilometres of each pole and have more recognised species in the polar regions than all other insects combined. They are an important part of the ecosystem and help break down organic material.


Above: Gomphiocephalus hodgsoni. Actual size 1.3mm. This is the largest year-round terrestrial animal found in Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Photo by Barry O'Brien

Below: Desoria klovstadi. Actual size 1.8mm. Photo by Barry O'Brien



This species of springtail (above) is found in the relatively warmer Northern Victoria Land region of Antarctica. Its well developed forked spring is clearly visibly towards the rear of the animal. It is this structure from which Collembola derive their common name "springtails". The spring (or furcula) can be "flicked" and used to quickly propel the animal either for moving from one place to another or to avoid predators such as birds or other invertebrates."

Nematodes:

The nematode worm Scottnema lindsayae is the most common and abundant land animal in Antarctica, where it persists in the dry, exposed soils of the ice-free polar deserts. It survives the cold and dry conditions by freeze-drying itself, whereby it evacuates virtually all of the water out of its cells and goes into a state of suspended animation (anhydrobiosis). We don’t know how long it can remain viable in this state, but we think it could be a really long time. We do know that they are easily dispersed by wind, which may account for their cosmopolitan distribution across most of Victoria Land and as far south as the Beardmore Glacier (83 degrees South). When liquid water becomes available, the animal rehydrates and gets on with the task of feeding on microbes and competing its lifecycle. But because it takes more than 200 days for S. lindsayae to complete its lifecycle in the under optimal temperature conditions laboratory, it probably takes several years of going in and out of anhydrobiosis for it to complete it’s life cycle in the wild.

Another cool Antarctic nematode is Plectus murrayi. This nematode is usually found in wetter soils, and near meltstreams, lakes and ponds. Like S. lindsayae, it too is highly resistant to drying out ·(desiccation). In addition, P. murrayi is also freeze tolerant. You can stick it in the -20C freezer for a few days, thaw it out on the countertop, and it seems to get along just fine. We have recently characterized its patterns of gene expression in response to environmental stress, and it looks like some genes are specific to certain kinds of stress (like antifreeze proteins) while others are more general.

Image: Scanning electron microscope image of Scottnema lindsayae at 5400X magnification (photo credit: Manuel Mundo-Ocampo)



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Soil Ecosystems in the Antarctic Dry Valleys
Courtesy of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research Program

The Dry Valley soils account for the majority of the valley surface area. Although the soils are up to five million years old, profiles are generally poorly developed. Despite the appearance of uniformity, Antarctic soils have a high degree of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in soil properties, hydrologic regimes, and biological composition, which relates to the general biological productivity of the dry valleys. The primary research goal is to understand how soil properties influence the distribution, abundance, and and how soil biota influence ecosystem processes.

Globally, there are no other soil systems where nematodes represent the top of the food chain and where food webs have such simple structure. The majority of soils sampled across the valleys (65%) support up to three invertebrate taxa (tardigrades, rotifers, nematodes), but in contrast to other ecosystems, many soils lack invertebrates. Despite their trophic dominance, species diversity of nematodes in dry valley soils is very low, and most soils are dominated by a single species, Scottnema lindsayae.

The simple food webs found in dry valley soils appear to be strongly influenced by human disturbance. The simple food chains found in dry valley soils appear to be strongly influenced by human disturbance, both directly (trampling) and indirectly (climate change). Populations of soil biota decrease drastically in walking paths, and are slow to recover. Studies on the impact of global climate change have shown that increased temperature and moisture inputs can change the structure of the food web, causing increases in an algal feeding nematode and decreases in a dominant bacterial feeder. These changes have important impacts on ecosystem processes in Antarctic soils.

Green Algae in Wharton Creek:


The algal mats in the Dry Valleys remain in a dehydrated state for most of the year until liquid water returns. Within 20 minutes of receiving liquid water, they are living and breathing again. No one knows how long these mats can remain in this state until their cells break down and they are no longer viable. A current study has just rehyrdated, or brought back to live, mats there are over 8,000 years old. Are the organisms in these mats related to the ones found in the Valleys today? Can this survival mechanism these organisms use be used by possible life on other planets, such as Mars? For more information, contact Jenny Baeseman ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

For more information, contact Diana H. Wall and Ross Virginia.
Go To Meet The Scientists page.
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