The influence of penguin activity on soil diatom assemblages on King George Island, Antarctica with the description of a new Luticola species
Background Ice-free areas in the Antarctic region are strongly limited. The presence of marine mammals and birds in those areas influence soil properties and vegetation composition. Studies on the terrestrial diatom flora in soils influenced by sea birds in the Maritime Antarctic region are scarce....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2022-07-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/13624.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827611582545264640 |
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| author | Natalia Kochman-Kędziora Teresa Noga Maria Olech Bart Van de Vijver |
| author_facet | Natalia Kochman-Kędziora Teresa Noga Maria Olech Bart Van de Vijver |
| author_sort | Natalia Kochman-Kędziora |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Ice-free areas in the Antarctic region are strongly limited. The presence of marine mammals and birds in those areas influence soil properties and vegetation composition. Studies on the terrestrial diatom flora in soils influenced by sea birds in the Maritime Antarctic region are scarce. Methods Samples were collected from two transects on the western shore of the Admiralty Bay region. Light and scanning electron microscopic observations and statistical analyses were conducted to consider the impact of penguin rookeries on soil diatom assemblages. Results The disturbance associated with the presence of penguin rookeries clearly influences the soil diatom diversity. Assemblages from areas with the highest nutrient input were characterized by a much lower diversity with only few species dominating the flora. One of recorded taxa could not be assigned to any of the known species. Therefore, based on the combination of morphological features analyzed using light and scanning electron microscopes and comparison with similar taxa in the Antarctic region and worldwide, the species is described hereby as new to science–Luticola kaweckae sp.nov. The new species is characteristic for soil habitats with strong penguin influence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:09:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0b6451f174584a99810d8e5f5d6a11ea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:09:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-0b6451f174584a99810d8e5f5d6a11ea2023-12-02T23:31:31ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592022-07-0110e1362410.7717/peerj.13624The influence of penguin activity on soil diatom assemblages on King George Island, Antarctica with the description of a new Luticola speciesNatalia Kochman-Kędziora0Teresa Noga1Maria Olech2Bart Van de Vijver3Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, PolandDepartment of Soil Studies, Environmental Chemistry and Hydrology, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, PolandDepartment of Polar Research and Documentation, Jagiellonian University Cracow, Kraków, PolandResearch Department, Meise Botanic Garden, Meise, BelgiumBackground Ice-free areas in the Antarctic region are strongly limited. The presence of marine mammals and birds in those areas influence soil properties and vegetation composition. Studies on the terrestrial diatom flora in soils influenced by sea birds in the Maritime Antarctic region are scarce. Methods Samples were collected from two transects on the western shore of the Admiralty Bay region. Light and scanning electron microscopic observations and statistical analyses were conducted to consider the impact of penguin rookeries on soil diatom assemblages. Results The disturbance associated with the presence of penguin rookeries clearly influences the soil diatom diversity. Assemblages from areas with the highest nutrient input were characterized by a much lower diversity with only few species dominating the flora. One of recorded taxa could not be assigned to any of the known species. Therefore, based on the combination of morphological features analyzed using light and scanning electron microscopes and comparison with similar taxa in the Antarctic region and worldwide, the species is described hereby as new to science–Luticola kaweckae sp.nov. The new species is characteristic for soil habitats with strong penguin influence.https://peerj.com/articles/13624.pdfAntarctic RegionSouth ShetlandsKing George IslandBacillariophytaSoil diatomsDiversity |
| spellingShingle | Natalia Kochman-Kędziora Teresa Noga Maria Olech Bart Van de Vijver The influence of penguin activity on soil diatom assemblages on King George Island, Antarctica with the description of a new Luticola species PeerJ Antarctic Region South Shetlands King George Island Bacillariophyta Soil diatoms Diversity |
| title | The influence of penguin activity on soil diatom assemblages on King George Island, Antarctica with the description of a new Luticola species |
| title_full | The influence of penguin activity on soil diatom assemblages on King George Island, Antarctica with the description of a new Luticola species |
| title_fullStr | The influence of penguin activity on soil diatom assemblages on King George Island, Antarctica with the description of a new Luticola species |
| title_full_unstemmed | The influence of penguin activity on soil diatom assemblages on King George Island, Antarctica with the description of a new Luticola species |
| title_short | The influence of penguin activity on soil diatom assemblages on King George Island, Antarctica with the description of a new Luticola species |
| title_sort | influence of penguin activity on soil diatom assemblages on king george island antarctica with the description of a new luticola species |
| topic | Antarctic Region South Shetlands King George Island Bacillariophyta Soil diatoms Diversity |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/13624.pdf |
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