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Response of Antarctic soil fungal assemblages to experimental warming and reduction of UV radiation

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Abstract

This paper reports the effects of nutrient availability, UV radiation and temperature on the taxa composition and abundance of Antarctic soil mycobiota. Two sites at Edmonson Point were studied: the first was poor in nutrients, near the glacier, and the second was close to bird nesting sites. The highest abundance of soil fungi was recorded at the site adjacent to the bird nesting sites. Phoma herbarum was the most abundant taxon. Lecytophora lignicola and Ascotricha erinacea are new records for continental Antarctica. The fungal assemblage from the nutrient-deficient site was characterized by a dominance-diversity curve approaching the broken-stick model, the assemblage from the soil influenced by birds was characterized by a lognormal distribution. Plastic cloches were used in experiments designed to assess differences in fungal assemblages subjected to altered temperature and/or UV exposure. Dominance-diversity curves and diversity values of soil fungal mycobiota were compared in their natural condition as compared with manipulated conditions. Under the walled cloches, at both sites, artificial warming led to stress on Antarctic soil fungal assemblages. In contrast, UV protection led to a higher equilibrium in the assemblage structure. On the basis of the results obtained, it could be proposed that UV radiation is the most important limiting ecological factor for soil mycobiota in continental Antarctica.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been carried out in the framework of the Italian P.N.R.A., within the BIOTAS International Programme. We would like to thank Prof. W. Gams and Dr. G. J. M. Verkley (Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Utrecht, Netherlands), and Dr. J. David (International Mycological Institute, Bakeham Lane, Egham, UK), for identification of some listed species; Dr. L. Monticelli (University of Messina, Italy) for the thermometric measures at Edmonson Point; Prof. S. Valbonesi (University of Camerino, Italy) for the help in preparing the experiment; Prof. R. Bargagli (University of Siena, Italy) for collecting samples in 1995–1996; Prof. G. Caretta (University of Pavia, Italy), Dr. C. Cockell (British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge,England) and the two anonymous referees are thanked for suggesting improvements to the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Ecologia del Territorio e degli Ambienti Terrestri, Università di Pavia, via S. Epifanio 14, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    S. Tosi & M. Brusoni

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Università della Tuscia, Largo dell’Università, 01100, Viterbo, Italy

    S. Onofri & L. Zucconi

  3. Department of Microbiology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    H. Vishniac

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  1. S. Tosi
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  2. S. Onofri
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  4. L. Zucconi
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Correspondence to S. Tosi.

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Tosi, S., Onofri, S., Brusoni, M. et al. Response of Antarctic soil fungal assemblages to experimental warming and reduction of UV radiation. Polar Biol 28, 470–482 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-004-0698-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-004-0698-x

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