Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Joaquin Bastias, David Chew, Camila Villanueva, Teal Riley, Joseline Manfroi, Cristine Trevisan, Marcelo Leppe, Paula Castillo, Fernando Poblete, Dieter Tetzner, Gregory Giuliani, Bastian Lopez, Hong Chen, Guang-Gao Zheng, Yue Zhao, Liang Gao, Anna Rauch, Ricardo Jana
Summary: In the South Shetland Islands, geological studies have greatly contributed to the understanding of its geological evolution. However, little research has been done on the correlation of geological units throughout the archipelago. This study provides a lithostratigraphical correlation and a new geological map for the South Shetland Islands, revealing three main stages of geological and environmental evolution.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tatiana Prado, Martha Lima Brandao, Tulio Machado Fumian, Lucas Freitas, Marcia Chame, Luciana Leomil, Maithe Gaspar Pontes Magalhaes, Wim Maurits Sylvain Degrave, Jose Paulo Gagliardi Leite, Marize Pereira Miagostovich
Summary: This study characterized the virome fraction of Antarctic freshwater ecosystems using shotgun metagenomic analysis. The results showed that DNA viruses were dominant, with Caudovirales being the most prevalent viral order. Additionally, uncategorized ssRNA(+) viruses were found in the lakes of Ardley Island. Bacterio-phages infecting the phylum Firmicutes and Siphoviridae were predominant in most lakes. Functional analysis revealed a prevalence of unknown proteins in the virome.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Carme Blanco-Gavalda, Merce Galbany-Casals, Alfonso Susanna, Santiago Andres-Sanchez, Randall J. Bayer, Christian Brochmann, Glynis V. Cron, Nicola G. Bergh, Nuria Garcia-Jacas, Abel Gizaw, Martha Kandziora, Filip Kolar, Javier Lopez-Alvarado, Frederik Leliaert, Rokiman Letsara, Lucia D. Moreyra, Sylvain G. Razafimandimbison, Roswitha Schmickl, Cristina Roquet
Summary: The Afromontane and Afroalpine areas in Africa are important biodiversity hotspots with rich plant endemics. This study focused on the plant genus Helichrysum and revealed its southern African origin and repeated colonization of the Afromontane and Afroalpine areas. The timing of these events coincide with mountain uplift and glacial cycles, suggesting their role in speciation and gene flow in the evolution of the Afroalpine flora.
Article
Ecology
Thamar Holanda da Silva, Paulo E. A. S. Camara, Otavio Henrique Bezerra Pinto, Micheline Carvalho-Silva, Fabio Soares Oliveira, Peter Convey, Carlos Augusto Rosa, Luiz Henrique Rosa
Summary: The study utilizing next-generation sequencing technology found a complex fungal community in the permafrost of the South Shetland Islands, including various animal, human, and plant pathogenic fungi.
Article
Plant Sciences
Huimin Cai, Xing Liu, Wenqiao Wang, Zhonghui Ma, Bo Li, Gemma L. C. Bramley, Dianxiang Zhang
Summary: There are numerous species of Callicarpa in tropical to subtropical Asia and the New World, and the genus provides valuable insights into the amphi-Pacific disjunction pattern. This study improves the phylogenetic understanding of Callicarpa through inclusive taxonomic samplings and data analysis. The results reveal the origin and diversification patterns of Callicarpa, as well as the ancestral distribution and dispersal events.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kaian Shahateet, Thorsten Seehaus, Francisco Navarro, Christian Sommer, Matthias Braun
Summary: Glaciers on the Antarctic periphery are expected to substantially increase their contribution to sea level rise by the end of the 21st century. A study on the South Shetland Islands found that their glaciers have a nearly balanced, slightly negative average specific mass balance. These results are consistent with a cooling trend observed in the region between 1998 and the mid-2010s.
Article
Environmental Sciences
V. B. Centurion, J. B. Silva, A. W. F. Duarte, L. H. Rosa, V. M. Oliveira
Summary: Despite human contamination in Whalers Bay soil, the volcanic soil heavy metal concentration of Deception Island has little biological influence on resistome genes. Whalers Bay has a higher diversity of antibiotic, biocide, and heavy metal resistance classes in its microbiomes compared to other areas.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pere Monras-Riera, Carlos Angulo-Preckler, Conxita Avila
Summary: Microdebris are present in the Southern Ocean, and this study assessed the distribution and composition of microdebris in two bays of Livingston Island. The results indicate that nearshore waters of Livingston Island are susceptible to the accumulation and retention of microdebris, with local activities being the main source of contamination.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. A. Padilha, G. O. Carvalho, W. Espejo, J. S. Souza, A. C. Pizzochero, L. S. T. Cunha, E. S. Costa, A. R. L. Pessoa, A. P. Almeida, J. P. M. Torres, G. Lepoint, L. N. Michel, K. Das, P. R. Dorneles
Summary: Contaminant levels are lower in Antarctica due to low anthropogenic activities, with the northern region of the Antarctic Peninsula experiencing the most pressure. Penguins in different locations and species showed variations in trace element concentrations and stable isotope values influenced by geographical, intraspecific (ontogenetic and gender-related), and interspecific differences in feeding habits. The bioaccumulation of trace elements in penguins may also be influenced by natural enrichment in the environment as well as human activities.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paula Arribas, Carmelo Andujar, Antonia Salces-Castellano, Brent C. Emerson, Alfried P. Vogler
Summary: Research using high-throughput sequencing analyzed soil arthropod communities in three Iberian mountain regions, identifying significant differences in local assemblage composition between grasslands and forests. The study revealed a self-similar distance decay pattern across different hierarchical levels, suggesting that limited dispersal processes shape community assembly at the local scale. These findings provide insight into how dispersal limitations influence mesofauna community structure and may challenge current estimations of total arthropod diversity on Earth.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Kacper Kreczmer, Maciej Dabski, Anna Zmarz
Summary: The study aims to investigate the development of glaciers and periglacial landforms in the western Antarctic region, utilizing tools such as UAV and Google Earth to obtain detailed geomorphological maps. The results show that different periods of glacier activity have created varying morphological features on the landscape.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jose E. Celis, Winfred Espejo, Gustavo Chiang, Daiki Kitamura, Elvira Vergara, Shosaku Kashiwada, Nelson J. O'Driscoll
Summary: Pinnipeds are found to act as biovector organisms of trace elements and rare earth elements through feces in remote environments. Further studies are needed to explore their actual impacts and long-term fate in the environment.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicolas Pala, Begona Jimenez, Jose L. Roscales, Marco Bertolino, Davide Baroni, Blanca Figuerola, Conxita Avila, Simonetta Corsolini
Summary: Antarctic benthic organisms, especially sponges, have been found to bioaccumulate persistent organic pollutants (POPs). However, the role and contamination levels of sponges in Antarctica have been largely overlooked. This study evaluated the bioaccumulation of legacy chlorinated POPs in 35 sponge samples from different locations in Antarctica. The results showed that the overall contamination levels were comparable to other Antarctic benthic organisms, and the predominant contaminants were lower chlorinated organochlorines, indicating long-range atmospheric transportation as the main contamination pathway.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Audrey C. Ragsac, Paige Fabre, Tiina Sarkinen, Richard G. Olmstead
Summary: Tecomeae, a nearly cosmopolitan clade of flowering plants, originated in South America and experienced dispersal events during the Eocene-Oligocene and Miocene, spreading from South America to the Old World, North America, Asia, and South America. The global distribution of Tecomeae is explained by intercontinental dispersal via land bridges, island hopping, and long distance dispersal.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Juan Manuel Rios, Sabrina B. Mammana, Eugenia Moreira, Giulia Poma, Govindan Malarvannan, Esteban Barrera-Oro, Adrian Covaci, Nestor F. Ciocco, Jorgelina C. Altamirano
Summary: This research reports on the concentrations of PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs in three species of notothenioid fish from the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica. The study found significant differences in the accumulation of MeO-BDEs among the species, with feeding ecology traits explaining the patterns of accumulation. The accumulation of PBDEs was not specific to species or tissues, highlighting the importance of species-specificity in MeO-PBDE accumulation.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
