Loss of soluble carbohydrates and changes in freezing point of Antarctic bryophytes after leaching and repeated freeze-thaw cycles

Healthy samples of Grimmia antarctici (turf and cushion ecodemes), Ceratodon purpureus, Bryum pseudotriquetrum and Cephaloziella exiliflora were collected in late summer in Wilkes Land together with senescing and dead G. antarctici material. Plant material was subjected to leaching in water and up to 16 freeze-thaw cycles. Gas chromatography revealed that following 16 days immersion, loss of carbohydrates (mainly glucose and fructose) was relatively low (c. 10–29% of the total sugar pool) for healthy material, with the loss of 69% from the dead G. antarctici material. Freeze-thaw cycles greatly increased rates of sucrose leakage and led to a 2–3 times rise in total sugar loss in all samples except the dead brown tissue which was not significantly different from the leached control treatment. After 16 freeze-thaw cycles Bryum pseudotriquetrum had lost 65% of total sugar pool. Losses for other species were below 28%. Differential thermal analyses showed freezing points of tissue varied from −8.3 to −3.5°C with dead material having the highest freezing temperatures. There was no significant correlation within species of freezing temperature changes with progressive sugar loss. The results are discussed in relation to nutrient cycling, soil microbial activity and the viability of bryophyte species in the Antarctic environment.