Research in Antarctica in the past two decades has fundamentally changed our perceptions of the southern continent. This volume describes typical terrestrial environments of the maritime and continental Antarctic. Life and chemical processes are restricted to small ranges of ambient temperature, availability of water and nutrients. This is reflected not only in life processes, but also in those of weathering and pedogenesis. The volume focuses on interactions between plants, animals and soils. It includes aspects of climate change, soil development and biology, as well as above- and below-ground results of interdisciplinary research projects combining data from botany, zoology, microbiology, pedology, and soil ecology.

Covers the most recent results of the fast-growing literature and provides an excellent picture of the present state of Antarctic science An indispensable book for all researchers and students interested in Antarctic ecology Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt
I The Environment.- Preface.- Antarctic Coastal Landscapes: Characteristics, Ecology and Research.- Maritime and Continental Antarctic: The Sites of Investigation in Context 17.- King George Island South Shetland Islands, Maritime Antarctic.- Wilkes Land (Casey Station).- Dronning Maud Land and Its Environments.- II Soils, Soil Development and Soil Properties.- Preface.- Glacial Changes in the Areas of Admiralty Bay, Potter Cove, King George Island, Maritime Antarctica.- Soils and Soilscapes.- Weathering and Soil Formation.- Refractory Soil Organic Matter Formation, Accumulation, Translocation and Transformation.- Ornithogenic Ecosystems in the Maritime Antarctic Formation, Development and Disintegration.- III Soil Microbes, Plants and Soil Fauna.- Preface.- Heterotrophic Soil Microbes, Microbial and Enzymatic Activity in Antarctic Soils.- Plant Communities on King George Island.- Plant Communities at Wilkes Land.- Plant Communities at Dronning Maud Land.- Soil Fauna of Antarctic Coastal Landscapes.- IV Integrating Aspects for Soil Ecology in Antarctic Coastal Landscapes.- Preface.- Soils as Habitats for microorganisms.- Ecological Classification of Terrestrial Algal Communities in Polar Environments.- Plants and Lichens in the Antarctic, Their Way of Life and Their Relevance to Soil Formation.- Soil Ecology in Relation to Plant Patterns.- Uses, Preservation and Protection of Antarctic Coastal Regions.- Concluding Remarks.- Taxonomic Index.- Geographical Index.