Growth rate and behavior over 20 years in the crustose lichen haematomma erythromma at elephant island, Antarctica Jair Putzke, Adriano Luis Schünemann, Antonio Batista Pereira Oecologia Australis, 2021 Antarctica is one of the most extreme environments on the planet considering the climatic conditions. This greatly limits the development of plants, and is reflected in slow growth, especially in the lichens present in this environment. Haematomma erythromma is a nitrophile lichen easily identifiable by its color and was the species chosen to evaluate growth in Antarctica. Using a plastic sheet, squares of 20 x 20 cm were placed on eight different rocks with crustose lichen communities and the species found were drawn in 1992 and in 2012. The location chosen for the survey was Stinker Point, on Elephant Island, north of the South Shetland Archipelago. After 20 years and evaluating 178 thalli, H. erythromma grew 0.2 to 0.7 mm/year, one of the slowest among Antarctic lichens. The thallus growth is mainly oriented West/Northwest, against prevailing wind direction, probably due to nutrient carried form a penguin rockery nearby. New thalli formed during this evaluation and the old ones also grew to connect each other, resulting in a confluent larger thallus. The new thalli grew mostly over Xanthoria elegans (Link.) Th. Fr., Rhizoplaca aspidophora (Vain.) Redón and Buellia spp. demonstrating that H. erythromma is capable of colonize areas with other lichen species coverage. The growth to be confluent with other thalli and the wind orientation are novelties to this species of lichen.
The current response of soil thermal regime and carbon exchange of a paraglacial coastal land system in maritime Antarctica André Thomazini, Márcio Rocha Francelino, Antonio Batista Pereira, Adriano Luis Schünemann, Eduardo de Sá Mendonça, et al. Land Degradation and Development, 2020 Ice‐free areas of maritime Antarctica (MA) are undergoing rapid environmental adjustment due to climate change because glaciers retreated. In recently deglaciated areas, sensitive indicators related to soil can be used as proxies of the transition phase from glacial to nonglacial conditions at paraglacial coastal systems. This work aims at comprehending how paraglacial coastal land systems respond to adjustment processes in highly dynamic deglaciated areas, based on net ecosystem exchange, soil temperature (ST), and soil moisture (SM) temporal series in two different vegetation communities on a paraglacial coastal land system in MA. We selected a moss community (MC) and a mixed community with mosses and lichens (MLC). MC is located on a hydromorphic area with buffered ST regime, compared with MLC, where greater SM variation range and freezing conditions were observed. MC and MLC are currently acting as an atmospheric CO2 sink. In this work, MC showed a greater capacity of CO2 uptake during measurements (711.20 g CO2 m−2). In this part of Antarctica, where a recent trend of decreasing ST occurs, less permafrost and surface land degradation, combined with enhanced carbon storage, are expected. However, in the long term, following the readjustment of the paraglacial period, thawing is expected, coupled with permafrost degradation and carbon release to the atmosphere, under the predicted warming scenario in MA.
Geographic distribution of epilithic diatoms (bacillariophyceae) in antarctic lakes, South Shetland Islands, maritime Antarctica region Juliana Ferreira da Silva, Maria Angélica Oliveira, Rodrigo Paidano Alves, Ana Paula Vestena Cassol, Raylane Ribeiro da Anunciação, et al. Check List, 2019 Organisms adapt to the environment by establishing themselves in suitable locations. Adaptation to the harsh Antarctic environment is no different. In this work the communities of epilithic diatoms in ice-free areas of water systems of five Antarctic islands are studied. The samples were oxidized, and permanent sheets were later prepared for analysis of the material. They were examined using an optical microscope and mounted on stubs for identification of the taxon in an electron microscope. Fifty-nine species distributed in 28 genera were collected. Only four species were observed in all study areas. Deception Island had unique species in comparison with those on other islands. Knowing the diatom community is a first step in understanding the systems that they inhabit. The polar environment is challenging due to the difficulty of sampling and low diversity and abundance.
First record of Juncaceicola as endophytic fungi associated with Deschampsia antarctica Desv. Guilherme De Andrade, Ehidy Cañón, Rodrigo Alves, Daniela Schmitz, Adriano Schünemann, et al. Diversity, 2018 In the current study, we present the molecular characterization of an endophyte fungus associated with the leaves of Deschampsia antarctica Desv. (Poaceae), a monocot species native to Antarctica. The isolate was obtained from 90 leaf fragments from two distinct collection sites, both located on Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands and Maritime Antarctica. The internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) was sequenced and the endophytic fungus was identified as belonging to the genus Juncaceicola Tennakoon, Camporesi, Phook and K.D. Hyde (99% nucleotide sequence identity). When compared to all fungi of the genus Juncaceicola deposited in data base, our isolate showed greater proximity with Juncaceicola typharum, however, because it presents a low bootstrap value to be considered a new species, we treat it as Juncaceicola cf. typharum. Moreover, the identification of our isolate as belonging to the genus Juncaceicola makes this the first occurrence of a species of this genus to be associated with the leaves of Antarctic plants. This work is considered as a starting point for other studies with fungi of this genus associated with leaves of Deschampsia antarctica, as it presents results from two collection points on a single Antarctic island, suggesting that new sites and new Antarctic islands should be explored.
Colonisation of stranded whale bones by lichens and mosses at Hennequin Point, King George Island, Antarctica Margéli Pereira de Albuquerque, Jair Putzke, Adriano Luis Schünemann, Frederico Costa Beber Vieira, Filipe de Carvalho Victoria, et al. Polar Record, 2018 This paper presents the details of lichens and mosses found on whale vertebrae substratum in the Admiralty Bay area, King George Island, Antarctica. Samples were taken in the coastal area at Hennequin Point, a relict of the Antarctic whaling era. The samples were collected from the upper surface of the whale bones found in the study area during the austral summer 2010–2011. A total of 15 lichen and two moss species were found. All species sampled are known in the Admiralty Bay area, both as pioneers and in more advanced succession stages in ice-free areas. These results suggest that the colonisation of whale bones is not new for Antarctic plants, but it is an additional substrate on which these plants can develop. A map showing the distribution of colonised bones and details of the usual substrata for the lichens and mosses found in this study are provided.
The Brazilian Pampa: A fragile biome Luiz Fernando Wurdig Roesch, Frederico Costa Beber Vieira, Vilmar Alves Pereira, Adriano Luis Schünemann, Italo Filippi Teixeira, et al. Diversity, 2009
An alternative weight matrix for the direct leveling adjustment Boletim De Ciencias Geodesicas, 2006
