This work aimed to investigate the ratio of colonization by terrestrial mites on ice-free areas created by the ongoing climate-induced melting of Antarctic glaciers. Glacier retreat opens new ice-free areas for the colonization by vegetation and animals. The study was undertaken on the Antarctic Specially Protected Area no. 128 (West Coast of the Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetlands Islands). Transects marked between the Ecology, Baranowski and Windy Glaciers, and a sea shore were used to collect soil samples. Oribatid mites were found only on near-shore areas, on patches of vegetation of more than 30 years of age. The colonization by mite communities is strongly determined by the presence of plants.

Landraces are considered a key element of agrobiodiversity because of their high variability and adaptation to local environmental conditions, but at the same time, they represent a breeding potential hidden in gene banks that has not yet been fully appreciated and utilized. Here, we present a genome-wide DArTseq analysis of the diversity of 116 spring barley landraces preserved in the collection of the Polish gene bank. Genetic analysis revealed considerable variation in this collection and several distinct groups related to the landraces’ country of origin and the grain type were identified. The genetic distinctness of hulless accessions may provide a basis for pro-quality breeding aimed at functional food production. However, the variable level of accession heterogeneity can be a significant obstacle. A solution to this problem is the establishment of special collections composed of pure lines that are accessible to breeders. Regions lacking genetic diversity have also been identified on 1H and 4H chromosomes. A small region of reduced heterogeneity was also present in the hulless forms in the vicinity of the nud gene that determines the hulless grain type. However, the SNPs present in this area may also be important in selection for traits related to grain weight and size because their QTLs were found there. This may support breeding of hulless forms of spring barley which may have applications in the production of high-quality foods with health-promoting values.

The extensive genetic diversity of crop landraces deposited in gene banks is an important part of future breeding programs. However, in order to exploit this potential, it is necessary both to preserve germplasm and to collect and share a wide range of data on its characteristics and evaluation. The main objective of the presented paper was to evaluate the diversity of spring barley landraces originating from Poland. Historical data from standard field evaluation of agronomic traits, genetic data obtained from Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) analysis and grain morphometric data were used. The analysis showed that groups of hulled and hulls barley accessions were substantially separate. Genetic and grain morphological variation did not show any relationship with eco-geographical conditions in the place of origin. There was also no clear division into forms with two- and six-row ears. The combination of the results of various types of analyzes describing this collection makes us believe that its chances of being used in research and breeding will increase.

Roślinne zasoby genowe podlegają ochronie prawnej na mocy umów międzynarodowych. Uznano bowiem, że stanowią dziedzictwo ludzkości, zatem korzyści z płynące z ich wykorzystania muszą być sprawiedliwie dzielone. Od momentu prawnego uregulowania tej kwestii na arenie międzynarodowej, tj. przez 15 ostatnich lat, udostępniono ponad 5,5 mln prób nasion. Szacuje się, że wykorzystanie roślinnych zasobów genowych przynosi wielomiliardowe dochody na całym świecie.