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Some Like It Wet – Biological Characteristics Underpinning Tolerance Of Extreme Water Stress Events In Antarctic Bryophytes., J. Wasley, Sharon A. Robinson, C. E. Lovelock, M. Popp

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Antarctic bryophyte communities presently tolerate physiological extremes in water availability, surviving both desiccation and submergence events. This study investigated the relative ability of three Antarctic moss species to tolerate physiological extremes in water availability and identified physiological, morphological, and biochemical characteristics that assist species performance under such conditions. Tolerance of desiccation and submergence was investigated using chlorophyll fluorescence during a series of field- and laboratory-based water stress events. Turf water retention and degree of natural habitat submergence were determined from gametophyte shoot size and density and ?13C signatures respectively. Finally, compounds likely to assist membrane structure and function during desiccation …