Published in

Frontiers Media, Frontiers in Microbiology, (7), 2016

DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00016

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Aerobiology Over Antarctica – A New Initiative for Atmospheric Ecology

Journal article published in 2016 by David A. Pearce, Irina A. Alekhina, Aleks Terauds, Annick Wilmotte ORCID, Antonio Quesada, Arwyn Edwards, Aurelien Dommergue ORCID, Birgit Sattler, Byron J. Adams, Catarina Magalhaes, Wan-Loy Chu, Maggie C. Y. Lau, S. Craig Cary, David J. Smith, Diana H. Wall and other authors.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Upload
Green circle
Postprint: archiving allowed
Upload
Green circle
Published version: archiving allowed
Upload
Policy details
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

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.