Habitat and leaf cytogenetic characteristics of Deschampsia antarctica Desv. in the Maritime Antarctica

Antarctic hairgrass (Deschampsia antarctica Desv.) was studied in the Maritime Antarctica with respect to general ecological characteristics, soil conditions, viral contamination, cell nucleus area, and relative DNA content. Material was gathered in six localities that were highly diverse in terms of the nature of soil-like substrata, presence of viral antigen determinants, and the average nucleus area and relative DNA content in leaf epidermis and parenchyma cells. Our results show that Antarctic hairgrass lives upon soils that are variable with respect to trace elements, pH, and other soil characteristics. The hairgrass is susceptible to a number of viruses, and shows substantial variation in DNA content and nucleus size.