Antarctic mosses reveal high resolution records of local microclimates

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dc.contributor.authorWaterman, MJen_AU
dc.contributor.authorBramley-Alves, Jen_AU
dc.contributor.authorCasanova-Katny, Aen_AU
dc.contributor.authorZúñiga, GEen_AU
dc.contributor.authorHua, Qen_AU
dc.contributor.authorRobinson, SAen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-19T21:11:06Zen_AU
dc.date.available2023-01-19T21:11:06Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2021-11-17en_AU
dc.date.statistics2022-05-27en_AU
dc.description.abstractIntroduction Life in Antarctica is living in the extreme. To survive there, life must be resilient to sub-zero temperatures, high levels of damaging ultraviolet and solar radiation, strong winds and waterlimiting environments. In this harsh continent where water is locked up as snow and ice for most of the year, mosses are the dominant plant form. Like many living things, these small plants rely on liquid water to survive. The amount of potential water that is available to drive growth, distribution and survival of Antarctic flora is strongly influenced by the changing climate, especially temperature, precipitation and winds. However, meteorological climate records in most of the biologically diverse regions in Antarctica are sparse and limited to a few decades or less. In these areas, there is an increasing need for local climate proxies. We show that Antarctic moss species can be used as living proxies for local water availability through preserved stable carbon isotopes captured in cellulose. Methods and Results Using accelerator and isotope ratio mass spectrometry techniques, we obtained radiocarbon ages and δ¹³C signatures along 26 cores of long shoots of moss collected from the Windmill Islands, East Antarctica and South Shetland Islands in the Maritime Antarctic. AMS radiocarbon results showed that these once living cores are up to 500 years old. The five moss species studied grew at different rates; the slowest species grew at less than 1 mm/year while the fastest achieved 8 mm/year. These moss cores provide a high-resolution record, at annual to decadal scales, of their microclimate. Our results also reveal that growth patterns of these Antarctic plants are dependent on local moisture environments. Trends in δ¹³C signatures indicate microclimates in these regions are drying. Conclusion This work suggests that mosses have considerable potential as climate proxies by providing a temporal and spatial history of microclimate in Antarctica. Applying these measures will allow us to determine which terrestrial sites are at risk of the negative impacts of climate change in order to inform critical conservation efforts in a rapidly changing environment. © The Authorsen_AU
dc.identifier.citationWaterman, M., Branley-Alves, J., Casanova-Katny, A., Zúñiga, G., Hua, Q., & Robinson, S. A. (2021). Antarctic mosses reveal high resolution records of local microclimates. Paper presented to the 15th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. ANSTO Sydney, Australia. November 15th – 19th. (pp. 29). Retrieved from: https://ams15sydney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/AMS-15-Full-Program-and-Abstract-Book-R-1.pdfen_AU
dc.identifier.conferenceenddate19 November 2021en_AU
dc.identifier.conferencename15th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometryen_AU
dc.identifier.conferenceplaceSydney, Australiaen_AU
dc.identifier.conferencestartdate15 November 2021en_AU
dc.identifier.pagination29en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://ams15sydney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/AMS-15-Full-Program-and-Abstract-Book-R-1.pdfen_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/14415en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisationen_AU
dc.subjectAntarcticaen_AU
dc.subjectTemperature zero Ken_AU
dc.subjectSolar radiationen_AU
dc.subjectWateren_AU
dc.subjectSnowen_AU
dc.subjectIceen_AU
dc.subjectPlantsen_AU
dc.subjectEnvironmenten_AU
dc.subjectClimatesen_AU
dc.subjectRecords managementen_AU
dc.subjectSpecies diversityen_AU
dc.titleAntarctic mosses reveal high resolution records of local microclimatesen_AU
dc.typeConference Abstracten_AU
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