Mosaics of Windmill Islands, East Antarctica ...
Terrestrial Antarctica is expected to experience significant ice melt in the coming century. Shifts in moisture levels affect soil properties and microbial biodiversity, both of which are essential components of ecosystem productivity. To devise effective conservation strategies, it is imperative to...
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| Format: | Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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UNSW Sydney
2024
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/30289 http://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/102524 |
| Summary: | Terrestrial Antarctica is expected to experience significant ice melt in the coming century. Shifts in moisture levels affect soil properties and microbial biodiversity, both of which are essential components of ecosystem productivity. To devise effective conservation strategies, it is imperative to comprehend the species distribution and their responses to environmental conditions across the continent, with the majority of studies to date focused on the Peninsula and the Dry Valleys. Using a dataset comprising 108 soil samples from the underexplored Windmill Islands region, spanning three sites (Robinson Ridge, Mitchell Peninsula, and Browning Peninsula), this study aimed to elucidate the connections between soil physicochemical properties and microbial biodiversity in relation to soil moisture content at a regional scale. Gradient Forest modelling revealed a moisture threshold at 5.8%, distinguishing "Relatively Moist" soils, characterised by higher soil nutrients and biodiversity, from "Arid" soils. A ... |
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