New Zealand Terrestrial Biocomplexity Survey

The New Zealand Terrestrial Antarctic Biocomplexity Survey (nzTABS) is the largest and most comprehensive interdisciplinary landscape-scale study of terrestrial biology ever undertaken in Antarctica, incorporating fieldwork of 1500+ person days in 6 of the Dry Valleys (total area of 6500 km2), strategic sampling of over 1200 sites designed to encompass the landscape heterogeneities in the ecosystem, and a range of high-resolution remote sensing data.

The central goal of nzTABS is to determine the primary abiotic drivers of biodiversity in the Dry Valleys, one of few ecosystems where such undertaking can be achieved. With the aid of a comprehensive GIS framework, we are on track to achieve this goal by examining community microbial sequence data in conjunction with a broad range of physicochemical parameters. This project currently involves over 29 senior investigators from 9 countries that encompass disciplines from geochemistry and geomorphology to population genetics and microbial ecology.