Project Details
Projekt
Adaptation mechanisms of bryophyte-microorganism associations in Antarctica
Applicant
Ekaterina Pushkareva, Ph.D.
Subject Area
Oceanography
Term
since 2024
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 541994523
The terrestrial flora of Antarctica is restricted to sparse ice-free areas where bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts) are usually the dominant vegetation. They play a significant role in various aspects of ecosystem dynamics, including nutrients and carbon cycles. Furthermore, bryophytes are poikilohydric organisms capable of enduring severe environmental conditions, such as freezing and desiccation, which are frequent in the Antarctic climate. They often engage in symbiotic associations with other organisms such as fungi and cyanobacteria. Bryophytes provide carbohydrates and lipids to fungi/cyanobacteria and, in return, receive nutrients from the symbionts. However, the precise role of symbiotic microorganisms in bryophyte adaptation to extreme environments remains unclear. There are currently no studies demonstrating the mechanisms through which bryophyte-microorganism associations adapt in Antarctica or how they will respond to climate change. Therefore, the objectives of this proposal are to investigate the mechanisms of adaptation in Antarctic bryophytes that have symbiotic relationships with fungi and/or cyanobacteria, and to explore how these symbionts contribute to the survival of the bryophytes.
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes
