Bedrock and biotic influence on on community composition of soils from the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica

• Main Authors: Tytgat, Bjorn, Verleyen, Elie, D'hondt, Sofie, Clercx, Pia, Van Ranst, Eric, Roberts, Stephen, Wilmotte, Annick, Vyverman, Wim, Willems, Anne
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Biology and Life Sciences; Antarctica; prokaryotes; terrestrial biodiversity; Illumina; East Antarctica; McMurdo Dry Valleys; Queen Maud Land; Sør-Rondane; Sør Rondane Mountains; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/6912253; http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-6912253

Antarctica is a continent of extremes. Low availability of liquid water and nutrients, extreme low temperatures and high levels of radiation exert high selective pressures on organisms. Consequently, most life forms are microbial. Estimations indicate that as little as 1-3 % of the continental surfa...