Antarctica is becoming greener—and more susceptible to plant diseases

Climate change could nearly double the number of plant-damaging fungi in Antarctica by the end of this century. This is the conclusion of a new study published in the scientific journal Global Change Biology. The researchers warn that this poses a serious threat to the continent’s fragile plant ecosystems. At the same time, the study shows that a consistent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions could significantly lessen the worst impacts.

Currently, only about 0.4 percent of Antarctica is permanently free of snow and ice. These small ice-free areas support two species of flowering plants, as well as mosses, lichens, and liverworts. As temperatures rise, more soil is being exposed, allowing vegetation to expand into new areas. At the same time, however, disease-causing fungi that infect plants and inhibit their growth are also becoming more widespread.

For the study, a research team from the British Antarctic Survey analyzed more than 50 soil samples collected along a 1,900-kilometer transect stretching from southern Chile to the Antarctic Peninsula. Using modern DNA analysis techniques, the scientists identified the fungal communities living in the soils and projected how they would develop under different climate scenarios through the year 2100.

The results indicate that under a high-emissions scenario, average temperatures in Chile and Antarctica could rise by four to five degrees Celsius over the coming decades. In this case, the diversity and abundance of plant-damaging fungi in the southern maritime Antarctic would nearly double. Under a low-emissions scenario, by contrast, the changes would be barely detectable.

Lead author Kevin Newsham emphasized that although plants may spread across newly ice-free land, their growth could be limited by the increasing number of pathogens. Additional risks come from non-native fungi introduced through scientific research, tourism, or even by wind.

The study demonstrates that climate change is not only melting Antarctica’s ice, but also altering the delicate ecological balance of its soils. How severely the continent’s unique plant life will be affected depends largely on how successfully the global community limits global warming.

Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal