There is a long tradition of Antarctic and Arctic research at our Department and Section of Experimental Plant Biology. It is part of the polar research carried out by the working group of polar ecology at the Faculty of Science of MU. Professional activities are mainly connected with expeditions carried out at the Antarctic scientific station managed by Masaryk University (J. G. Mendel) and at the Czech scientific station in Spitsbergen. The staff of the Laboratory of Photosynthetic Processes, Department of Plant Physiology and Anatomy carries out field research on ecophysiological and stress physiological topics on James Ross Island. In particular, the study of the biodiversity of heterotrophic and autotrophic microorganisms living in different types of Antarctic environments. Using a wide range of biophysical and biochemical methods, the staff of the laboratory of photosynthetic processes and the specialised laboratory of research on organisms living in extreme environments (EEL - a joint facility built in cooperation with the Institute of Geography within the CzechPolar research and infrastructure project) carry out comprehensive research on the photosynthesis of local mosses, lichens, algae and cyanobacteria in relation to the physical conditions of the polar environment and the ongoing climate warming in the Antarctic Peninsula. EEL staff are using a long-term field experiment based on artificially induced warming of the vegetation cover using open top chambers.
Laboratory of Photosynthetic Processes (LPP)
The team of staff forming the LPP laboratory is composed of academics from the department and PhD students. The team has many years of experience in the use of chlorophyll fluorescence techniques in monitoring and evaluating stress induced in photosystem II stressed plants. The main focus of the group is photosynthetic apparatus inhibition caused by low temperature and freezing, water deficit stress, photoinhibitory radiation and UV-B radiation. The subject of the research is to evaluate the involvement of different protective mechanisms in the response of plants to different stress factors. For the last few years the team has been involved in research on the stress physiology of lichens, and algae, i.e. extremophilic organisms with a high degree of resistance to extreme polar environments.
Laboratory of Research on Organisms Living in Extreme Environments (EEL)
The Laboratory of Research on Organisms Living in Extreme Environments (EEL) is part of the CzechPolarI and ChechPolarII projects. The main objective is to study the physiological processes and mechanisms underlying the tolerance of autotrophic polar organisms (cyanobacteria, algae, lichens and mosses) to extreme environments induced in laboratory conditions. The EEL laboratory is located at the Department of Plant Physiology, Masaryk University, Brno, in the Bohunice campus, Kamenice 5, building no. C13, rooms 119 and 1S09.
Experimental equipment for research and related activities
The LPP and EEL laboratories are very well equipped for research on photosynthesis of extremophilic autotrophic organisms of the Arctic and Antarctic. The EEL has instruments specifically linked to the CzechPolarI project, such as a linear programmable sample cooling system (Cryo Planner, UK), a thermal camera (Fluke, Germany) and a cultivator using cross gradient (temperature/irradiance) methods, photobioreactors with simultaneous measurements of pH, T, sample optical density and chlorophyll fluorescence for experiments with extremophilic algae and cyanobacteria grown in culture. Some equipment is shared with LPP, e.g. fluorometers: (a) Imaging HFC-010 fluorometer, PSI, Czech Republic, (b) PAM-2000, Heinz Walz, Germany, (c) FL-400, PSI, Czech Republic, (d) OS-FL1 (OptiScience, USA), (e) Mini-Pam, Heinz Walz, Germany, (f) Moni-PAM (Germany). The laboratory is also equipped with a set of culture chambers, recording devices (HOBO, Onset Computers, MiniCube, EMS, Czech Republic), various radiation sources (LED), UV-lamps, and radiometers such as Li-1400 (Li-Cor, USA). The team members have achieved a high level in the application of the chlorophyll fluorescence analysis method in plant stress physiology.
Our Antarctic and Arctic research team, in addition to its professional work, is also active in organising national and international events focused on the professional aspects of research in the Earth's polar regions, as well as in the education of the young scientific generation. In the last three years, the following professional events have been held. The staff also popularise polar research in the media, giving a large number of popular lectures to high schools and the general public.
ECOSYS-2014 (Functioning of Antarctic Terrestrial Ecosystems in Changing Environment), Satellite meeting, České Budějovice, 2014
Biovědy v Antarktidě (Současný stav a perspektivy biologického výzkumu v Antarktidě), workshop, Brno 2015.
Students in Polar Research Conference (Actual topics of student’s research projects on Polar geosciences and biosciences), Student conference, Brno, 2015
(Updated: March 2016)
