Details of Award

NERC Reference : NE/E013422/1

Challenging the paradigm for plant-microbial resource partitioning in Antarctic ecosystems

Principal Investigator:: Professor DL Jones, NERC British Antarctic Survey, Science Programmes
Co-Investigator:: Dr KK Newsham, NERC British Antarctic Survey, Science Programmes
Grant held at:: NERC British Antarctic Survey, Science Programmes

ENRIs:: Pollution and Waste; Natural Resource Management; Global Change; Environmental Risks and Hazards; Biodiversity
Science Topics:: Environmental Microbiology; Biogeochemical Cycles; Soil science; Climate & Climate Change

Abstract:: The Antarctic is a uniquely important 'natural laboratory' for examining ecosystem responses to climate change, and it is vital that the biological changes being observed there are properly understood. Its uniqueness comes from a combination of the simplicity of its ecosystems, which exhibit restricted species diversity and food chain complexity, with environmental warming which is occurring at approximately twice the rate of change in temperate regions. The proposed research will develop novel experimental and modelling techniques to find out the importance in Antarctic soils of specific forms of nitrogen. In addition, we want to find out whether these forms of organic nitrogen are available to microbes and plants, and whether global warming will alter the nitrogen dynamics of Antarctic soils. We hypothesize that our research may offer an explanation for recent expansions in vascular plant populations on the Antarctic continent. The work directly underpins policy relating to climate change and biodiversity in polar regions. The work is also extremely relevant to many other low-input ecosystems around the world (e.g. boreal forest, Arctic tundra, tropical rainforest).

Authorised funds only

This grant award has a total value of £9,847

Indirect - Indirect Costs	DA - Investigators	DA - Estate Costs	DI - T&S
£3,804	£4,562	£1,330	£150

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