Distribution and diversity of soil microfauna from East Antarctica: assessing the link between biotic and abiotic factors.

ABSTRACT: Terrestrial life in Antarctica has been described as some of the simplest on the planet, and mainly confined to soil microfaunal communities. Studies have suggested that the lack of diversity is due to extreme environmental conditions and thought to be driven by abiotic factors. In this study we investigated soil microfauna composition, abundance, and distribution in East Antarctica, and assessed correlations with soil geochemistry and environmental variables. We examined 109 soil samples from a wide range of ice-free habitats, spanning 2000 km from Framnes Mountains to Bailey Peninsula. Microfauna across all samples were patchily distributed, from complete absence of invertebrates to over 1600 specimens/gram of dry weight of soil (gdw), with highest microfauna abundance observed in sample

SUBMITTER: Velasco-Castrillon A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3909186 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature