Changes in plant communities and soil attributes in the "Cousteau's whale bone skeleton" tourist attraction area in Keller Peninsula after 48 years

Ice-free areas of Antarctica represent an important study region that helps us understand how human activity affects plant communities and soil properties. The goal of this study was to determine the changes in plant composition and soil properties around a whale bone skeleton (WB) near Ferraz Stati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências Vol. 94; no. suppl 1; p. e20191467
Main Authors:	Putzke, Jair, Schaefer, Carlos E G R, Thomazini, André, Francelino, Márcio R, Schünneman, Adriano L, Vieira, Frederico C B, Putzke, Marisa T L, Schmitz, Daniela, Laindorf, Bruna L, Pereira, Antonio B
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Brazil Academia Brasileira de Ciências 01-01-2022
Subjects:	Animals Antarctic Regions Anthropogenic impacts human activity ice-free areas landscape modification MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES Skeleton Soil Soil Microbiology Soil Pollutants - analysis Whales Antarctic Regions Anthropogenic impacts ice-free areas landscape modification human activity
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Summary:	Ice-free areas of Antarctica represent an important study region that helps us understand how human activity affects plant communities and soil properties. The goal of this study was to determine the changes in plant composition and soil properties around a whale bone skeleton (WB) near Ferraz Station, King George Island, Antarctica from 1972 to 2020 (48 years). The WB was assembled in 1972 by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his team. It is located in a large moss field and visited by many tourists. We studied the plant composition and development based on historical and recent photographs and phytosociological studies from 1986 to 2020. The soil was sampled in February 2009 to determine general properties. The results showed that human activity surrounding the WB directly affected the plant community composition and soil properties. The Syntrichia cushions were positively affected by the calcium deposits from bone dissolution. The principal component analysis revealed that mineralization of the bones increased soil nutrient assembly. A strong phosphatization process was observed in the WB area, similar to that in ornithogenic soils. The WB on the marine terrace enhanced soil fertility and changed the plant community.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0001-3765 1678-2690 1678-2690
DOI:	10.1590/0001-3765202220191467