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Understanding the tolerance of Antarctic mosses to climate change

Entry ID: ASAC_3042

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Summary

Abstract: Metadata record for data from AAS (ASAC) project 3042.

Public
Ozone depletion above Antarctica has caused large increases in springtime UVB radiation (UVBR) and recovery of the ozone layer is not expected until 2060. We have shown that increased UVBR is likely to have more negative effects on the endemic moss, Schistidium antarctici, than on two co-occurring cosmopolitan species Ceratodon ...

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Description: Download point for the species list

Link: VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE

Description: Public information for ASAC project 3042

Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

Description: Download point for further information about the project

Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

Description: Citation reference for this metadata record and dataset

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: -66.24

S: -66.32

E: 110.56

W: 110.48

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 2008-09-30

Stop Date: 2013-03-31

Location Keywords

CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA

GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR

Science Keywords

ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION > ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION

BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > PLANTS > MOSSES/HORNWORTS/LIVERWORTS

ISO Topic Category

BIOTA

ENVIRONMENT

Platform

FIELD SURVEYS

FIELD INVESTIGATION

Instrument

HPLC > High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph

Quality The values provided in temporal and spatial coverage are approximate only.

Taken from the 2008-2009 Progress Report:
Laboratory activity/analysis:
We have developed a methodology for efficient extraction and partitioning of the UV-B screening compounds in these mosses.

Confocal microscopy was used to examine localisation of phenolics in three ... Antarctic bryophyte species and also to investigate the efficiency of the various extraction techniques in removing phenolics from C. purpureus. Confocal fluorescence images showed C. purpureus had 2-fold higher amounts of cell wall-bound than intracellular phenolics whereas Bryum pseudotriquetrum contained approximately half the amount of cell wall-bound than intracellular phenolics. In the Antarctic liverwort Cephaloziella exiliflora phenolics were predominantly intracellular with little bound to the cell walls. These results indicate that B. pseudotriquetrum and C. exiliflora rely more on intracellular UV screens than C. purpureus. In addition, confocal microscopy demonstrated that the intracellular phenolics in both B. pseudotriquetrum and C. purpureus are most likely to be localised within vacuoles.

We have also ascertained that the alkali hydrolysis extraction method is successful in extracting phenolic compounds bound to cell walls of C. purpureus although we are currently trying to modify this method to avoid the use of Sodium dodecyl sulfate since this interferes with identification of the compounds.

Using subsequent chromatography techniques, aromatic compounds, unsaturated fatty acids and an unsaturated alcohol were identified as responsible for some of the high UV activity observed in the cell wall extracts. Using HPLC we have provisionally identified a number of bisflavones and some derivatives of benzoic acids as components of the UV-absorbing compounds in C. purpureus using HPLC. We have been concentrating on the cell wall fraction in this species but these compounds appear to be in both the cell wall and intracellular compartments.

Final confirmation of the exact structure of these compounds is currently underway using LC-MS and spectroscopic methods (e.g. NMR). Once we have confirmed the identity of the compounds we can assess their relative strength as UV screens and also their precise location within the cell.

Further separation of other UV-active compounds is continuing for Bryum pseudotriquetrum.

Taken from the 2009-2010 Progress Report:
Variations to work plan or objectives:
The main field work components were not possible due to the limited time at Casey and the fact that we were not there at the start or end of the summer season.

The finding that these pigments are indeed variable depending on the UV-B radiation dose is very exciting since this means that we could potentially use these mosses as proxies for historic UV radiation around the coast of Antarctica etc.

Taken from the 2010-2011 Progress Report:
Variations to work plan or objectives:
We were not able to conduct the transplant experiment in the 2010/11 season because berths were only available in late Feb for a short time. We hope to complete this experiment in 2011/12. This means that progress on Aim 4 is limited to a small pilot and comparative experiments using Australian samples. To complete the project successfully requires berths throughout the summer season to capture the moss response adequately, unfortunately this has not been possible over the past 2 seasons, but hopefully will be possible in 2011/12.

We also did not receive grant funding for this project in 2010/11 which means that progress on the other objectives was slower than we had anticipated. Despite this the project is progressing well and we have clear evidence of the ability of Antarctic mosses to respond rapidly to environmental changes.

Access Constraints The full dataset for this project is not yet publicly available.

A copy of the species list collated during data collection is available for download from the provided URL.

Use Constraints This data set conforms to the PICCCBY Attribution License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference provided at http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/citation.cfm?entry_id=ASAC_3042 when using these data.

Ancillary Keywords

UVB

ozone layer

Data Set Progress

IN WORK

Data Center

Australian Antarctic Data Centre, Australia

Data Center URL: http://data.aad.gov.au

Data Center Personnel
Name: DATA OFFICER AADC Phone: +61 3 6232 3244 Fax: +61 3 6232 3351 Email: metadata at aad.gov.au Contact Address: Australian Antarctic Division 203 Channel Highway City: Kingston Province or State: Tasmania Postal Code: 7050 Country: Australia

Distribution

Distribution Media: HTTP

Distribution Size: 17 kb

Distribution Format: Excel

Fees: Free

Personnel

SHARON ROBINSON

Role: INVESTIGATOR

Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Phone: +61 2 4221 5753

Fax: +61 2 4221 4135

Email: sharonr at uow.edu.au

Contact Address:

Department of Biological Sciences

University of Wollongong

Northfields Ave

City: WOLLONGONG

Province or State: New South Wales

Postal Code: 2522

Country: Australia

DAVE CONNELL

Role: DIF AUTHOR

Phone: +61 3 6232 3244

Fax: +61 3 6232 3351

Email: dave.connell at aad.gov.au

Contact Address:

Australian Antarctic Division

203 Channel Highway

City: Kingston

Province or State: Tasmania

Postal Code: 7050

Country: Australia

Publications/References

Waterman, M. (2008), Ultraviolet protective mechanisms in the survival of Antarctic Ceratodon purpureus and two other Antarctic bryophytes, BBiotech Honours thesis, University of Wollongong

Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2009-04-20

Last DIF Revision Date: 2011-05-04

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