Polar Regions are unique and highly prolific ecosystems characterized by extreme
environmental gradients. Photosynthetic autotrophs, the base of the food web, have had to …

Antarctica is arguably the world's most important continent for influencing the Earth's climate
and ocean ecosystem function. The unique physico-chemical properties of the Southern …

The North Sea coast of the Dutch barrier island of Schiermonnikoog is covered by microbial
mats that initiate a succession of plant communities that eventually results in the …

Abstract The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica harbor numerous permanently ice-covered
lakes, which provide a year-round oasis for microbial life. Microbial eukaryotes in these …

Antarctic coastal waters undergo major physical alterations during summer. Increased
temperatures induce sea-ice melting and glacial melt water input, leading to strong …

Abstract Krossfjorden and Kongsfjorden are Arctic fjords on the western side of Spitsbergen.
These fjords share a common mouth to the open sea, and both are influenced by the input of …

Tintinnid ciliates are suitable models to study the diversity and biogeography of microbial
plankton. In addition to morphological data accumulated over two centuries, most known …

Spatial environmental heterogeneity influences diversity of organisms at different scales.
Environmental filtering suggests that local environmental conditions provide habitat-specific …

Data on Antarctic coastal sites remain scarce and are generally limited to microscopy; the
diversity of coastal Antarctic ecosystems has long been underestimated. The diatom …

Abstract The Western Antarctic Peninsula warmed significantly during the second half of the
twentieth century, with a concurrent retreat of the majority of its glaciers, and marked …