Abstract:
Physical samples of soil, rocks, wood, foodstuffs, air and artefacts were collected from six Heroic era sites in the Ross Sea Region over the period of January 1999 to January 2008. These sites included the three historic huts at Hut Point, Cape Evans and Cape Royds on Ross Island (from 1998-2008), the historic hut at Cape Adare (2002-2003), the rock hut at Cape Crozier (2000-2001) and the Granite
... house at Cape Geology, Granite Harbour (2002-2003). Fungi were isolated from these samples using a variety of techniques (including spore traps), media and temperatures. The results from these studies were used to determine fungal biodiversity, the effect of the introduction of a nutrient source in a pristine environment on native fungal species, the impact of humans, and introduction of foreign fungi into a harsh environment. The fungi isolated from these locations have been studied to determine adaption/survival strategies. All cultures are held in culture collections at The Universities of Waikato and Minnesota. Huts and artefacts were digitally videotaped to compare the rate of deterioration from year to year. January 1990 samples: Hut Point >100 samples, Cape Evans >200 samples, Cape Royds >200 samples; December 1999 samples Hut Point >50 samples, Cape Evans >130 samples, Cape Royds >90 samples 
