Dispersal and genetic exchange of lichen populations between Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula (with a focus on human impact)

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The restriction of Antarctic biota to widely scattered habitat patches has led to high levels of endemism, genetic differentiation and local adaptation of fauna and flora, features that are increasingly threatened by human introduction of alien species and homogenization of currently differentiated gene pools. Although lichens are the most important primary producers of Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems there is almost no data on their genetic structure and diversity. Levels of inter- and intracontinental gene flow are entirely unknown. It is therefore currently impossible to even grossly assess the present and future human impact on Antarctic lichen populations.In an ongoing project (Pr567/18-1) we are studying the population genetic structure of widely dis-tributed lichen species and want to assess whether humans have introduced alien species or genotypes and homogenized gene pools of currently isolated lichen populations. The second point can only be addressed by comparison of sites with high and low human impact. Due to technical difficulties on the part of the Spanish Polar Committee an expedition to Livingston Island vital to this project had to be postponed from winter 2016/17 to February/March 2018. In order to enable the PhD student to publish the central results of this project, I ask the DFG to fund the 65% PhD position for a further 5 months until 31 March 2019.