Highly simplified microbial communities colonise rocks and soils of continental Antarctica ice‐
free deserts. These two habitats impose different selection pressures on organisms, yet the …

A wide sampling of rocks, colonized by microbial epi–endolithic communities, was
performed along an altitudinal gradient from sea level to 3600 m asl and sea distance from …

Ice-free regions in coastal areas of Victoria Land, Antarctica, are patchily distributed, limited
in extent and characterized by a simple vegetation of lichens and mosses, growing only for a …

Endolithic growth is one of the most spectacular microbial adaptations to extreme
environmental constraints and the predominant life-form in the ice-free areas of Continental …

Abstract The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica present extreme environmental challenges.
Life is restricted to patchy occurrence of lichens, mosses and invertebrates, plus soil …

Endolithic growth within rocks is a critical adaptation of microbes living in harsh
environments where exposure to extreme temperature, radiation, and desiccation limits the …

Our understanding of the diversity and community dynamics of soil fungi has increased
greatly through the use of DNA‐based identification. Community characterization of …

Ice-free areas of Victoria Land, in Antarctica, are characterized by different terrestrial
ecosystems, that are dominated by microorganisms supporting highly adapted communities …

Biotic communities and ecosystem dynamics in terrestrial Antarctica are limited by an array
of extreme conditions including low temperatures, moisture and organic matter availability …

Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and most isolated continent of our planet. The White
Continent can be subdivided in several climatic zones (roughly sub-Antarctic, maritime …