Minimising biodiversity loss

Whales, penguins, and seals may spring to mind when considering life in Antarctica, however, the Icy Continent is host to countless webs of life. From the temperate coastal regions where water and warmth allow the encrusting of lichens, moss gardens, and even native grasses, to the soils of Antarctica that harbour a bustling diversity of microorganisms, within whose cells the secrets of ancient and extraterrestrial life are bound, Antarctica is thriving with life. By studying these ecosystems, and by experimenting with measures to quash the invasive species that threaten them, we can preserve for posterity this delicate and unique life.

Research topics

The research supported by The Antarctic Science Foundation examines ecosystems at every node and connection of their network: inorganic, microscopic and macroscopic.

Ecosystems and food webs

Ecologists speak of food ‘webs’ instead of ‘food chains’ to convey the true nature of an ecosystem: an interdependent system that is sustained by the functioning and integrity of each of its components. Antarctic researchers study the delivery of nutrients: iron, nitrogen, which fosters the growth of microbes, invertebrates, vegetation, which dictate where and when other species like penguins can co-exist. Everyone counts in an ecosystem, and the study of ecology affirms this.

Moss and native vegetation

Antarctica’s extreme conditions place an impenetrable cap on the growth of ‘green’ life to a few grasses, moss, algae, lichen. Each small organism tells a large story. In the centimetre-tall stands of Antarctic moss is contained a 500 year-old record of the atmosphere, novel compounds acting as plant sunscreen, and the secrets of adaptation required to survive a frozen desert.

Microbes and novel biology

Some of Antarctica’s smallest life – the microbes (archaea, bacteria, fungi) – remain utter mysteries to science. Among the unidentified species, there remain unknown antibiotics and chemicals for medicine, industry and beyond. Antarctic microbes are also ‘models’ for evolution and extra-terrestrial life; by studying how these tiny, simple life forms can exist in the harshest of conditions, we can recreate or predict how life might have evolved on this and – potentially – other planets.

Invasive species

Like all of the world’s islands, those of the sub-Antarctic – Heard, McDonald and Macquarie – are ‘nature’s laboratory’, a confined ecosystem within which evolution excels. It’s the islands’ very confinement that has made them victims to historically introduced species: mice, rats, cats, rabbits. Macquarie Island, in particular, has been the subject of eradication measures to save its vulnerable seabird populations, such as skuas. The island remains a crucial system for understanding and refining the eradication of invasive species, making it – still – an ideal natural laboratory.

NEWS | Biodiversity and ecosystems in Antarctica

Featured

Spying on Antarctic moss using drones, MossCam, smart sensors and AI

The health of these moss beds is declining due to changing climate conditions, ozone depletion and heatwaves. Yet our understanding of the problem is limited. Conducting research in Antarctica is difficult. Periods of data collection are short, and there can be years between each research opportunity. Fortunately, new technology offers solutions. Read more at Cosmos

Antarctic bacteria live on air and make their own water using hydrogen as fuel

Humans have only recently begun to think about using hydrogen as a source of energy, but bacteria in Antarctica have been doing it for a billion years. We studied 451 different kinds of bacteria from frozen soils in East Antarctica and found most of them live by using hydrogen from the air as a fuel. Read more on the Conversation

Nine years after official pest-free status, Macquarie Island is recovering but it's a 'long game'

Ecologists say sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island is visibly recovering, nine years after it was declared pest-free. Scientists will analyse samples collected on the World Heritage island to better understand other threats, such as climate change. Read more on the ABC

Penguin poo is the gift that keeps on giving

Nitrogen-rich droppings from penguins and seals along the Antarctic Peninsula fuel biodiversity hotspots that stretch several kilometres inland, researchers reveal in a paper published in the journal Current Biology. Read more on Cosmos

ASF scholars specialised in ecosystems and biodiversity

Scholar Profile

Dr Krystal Randall

Krystal is now a Postdoctoral Researcher at ARC SRI Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF) - Looking at plant-climate interactions in Antarctica.

Dr Pok Man Leung

I am a microbial ecologist and my research passion is the study of how diverse microorganisms can survive, interact, and in turn, modulate their hosts and environments.

Sin Yin Wong

Sin Yin was a grant recipient in 2022 and investigates soil microbial community survival mechanisms.

Dr Angelique Ray

In May 2023, Angelique was announced as the recipient of this year’s BQI UNSW Fellowship. This Fellowship is designed to support outstanding young Australian researchers investigating the Big Questions of Science at UNSW.

Dr Kate Montgomery

Recipient of the 2020 Covid Gap Grant, Kate studies a group of bacteria that survive by converting gas to energy.

Dr Toby Travers

Once eradicated from Macquarie Island, invasive species such as mice and rats are no longer food for brown skuas. How does this affect the lives and breeding of skuas?

Penny Pascoe

Penny studies seabirds and their road to recovery after their islands are eradicated of invasive animals – rats, mice.

Ecology

The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Food chain

A series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.

Food web

A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.

Biomass

The total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area or volume.

Microbe

A microorganism, especially a bacterium.

Symbiosis

An interaction between organisms, living in close proximity, and usually a benefit to both.

DNA sequencing

Determining the order of the four chemicals - ‘bases’ - that compose a given DNA molecule.

eDNA

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is DNA released from an organism into the environment, including via faeces, mucous, and shed hair or skin.

Trophic

Relating to feeding and nutrition, usually in relation to an ecosystem or food web.

Keystone species

In a marine ecosystem, or any type of ecosystem, a keystone species is an organism that helps hold the system together.

Sub-Antarctic

Relating to the region immediately north of the Antarctic Circle.