Abstract
The role of aerial dispersal in shaping patterns of biodiversity remains poorly understood, mainly due to a lack of coordinated efforts in gathering data at appropriate temporal and spatial scales. It has been long known that the rate of dispersal to an ecosystem can significantly influence ecosystem dynamics, and that aerial transport has been identified as an important source of biological input to remote locations. With the considerable effort devoted in recent decades to understanding atmospheric circulation in the south-polar region, a unique opportunity has emerged to investigate the atmospheric ecology of Antarctica, from regional to continental scales. This concept note identifies key questions in Antarctic microbial biogeography and the need for standardized sampling and analysis protocols to address such questions. A consortium of polar aerobiologists is established to bring together researchers with a common interest in the airborne dispersion of microbes and other propagules in the Antarctic, with opportunities for comparative studies in the Arctic.
Type
Journal Article
Type of thesis
Series
Citation
Pearce, D. A., Alekhina, I. A., Terauds, A., Wilmotte, A., Quesada, A., Edwards, A., … Vincent, W. F. (2016). Aerobiology Over Antarctica - A New Initiative for Atmospheric Ecology. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7. http://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00016
Date
2016-02-16
Publisher
Frontiers Media S.A.
Degree
Supervisors
Rights
© 2016 Pearce, Alekhina, Terauds, Wilmotte, Quesada, Edwards, Dommergue, Sattler, Adams, Magalhães, Chu, Lau, Cary, Smith, Wall, Eguren, Matcher, Bradley, de Vera, Elster, Hughes, Cuthbertson, Benning, Gunde-Cimerman, Convey, Hong, Pointing, Pellizari and Vincent. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.