Sensitivity and response of Antarctic moss and terrestrial algae to fuel contaminants

This metadata record contains the results of four experiments that were conducted to determine the sensitivity and response of Antarctic moss and terrestrial algae to Special Antarctic Blend (SAB) fuel contamination. The work was conducted under AAS Project 4100, with plant material collected from the Casey region during the 2012/2013 field season and subsequent laboratory tests and analyses conducted at Casey station, University of Wollongong and AAD Kingston laboratories, with laboratory work completed in 2013. Four test species were selected for this study, they are all known moss species for the Windmill Islands region and a terrestrial algae, they are all commonly found in ice-free refuges in the vicinity of Casey station. The species were the three mosses: Schistidium antarctici, Ceratodon purpureus, and Bryum pseudotriquetrum, and one terrestrial green alga, Prasiola crispa. Samples of Australian C. purpureus (collected from Wollongong at 34 degrees 24'14"S, 150 degrees 52'30"E) and referred to as 'local C. purpureus') were also used in toxicity tests since this cosmopolitan species may provide valuable insights into potential differences in response to fuel contamination for the same moss species growing in temperate versus polar regions.