The SØr Rondane Mountains (SRM) represent a c. 900 km² large nunatak, encompassing a large range of terrestrial habitats differing in geology and soil characteristics, exposure time and microclimatic conditions. The objectives of the project are to (i) use a combination of remote sensing and close-range field observation techniques to map physical habitat characteristics and the presence/extent of microbial mat and biological crust communities in a radius of 200 km around the Princess Elisabeth Station Antartica (PEA), (ii) generate a comprehensive inventory of the taxonomic and functional diversity of microbial communities in these habitats, and cultivate and characterize bacterial and cyanobacterial indicator taxa and deposit them as reference material in the BCCM collections, (iii) measure key ecosystem functions, including photosynthesis, and carbon and nutrient cycling in microbial communities representative of the major habitats in the region, (iv) use mesocosm field experiments to mimic the possible effects of future climate change on the functional and taxonomic diversity of these microbial ecosystems, and (v) conduct field experiments to inform policy-makers in view of decision making regarding environmental protection and prevention measures to be taken to reduce the introduction and spread of non-native species and to avoid cross-contamination between sites. The proposed research will provide a proof of concept to use high resolution satellite images for identifying regions of particular biological interest in East Antarctica and more broadly make a significant contribution to understanding Antarctic terrestrial microbial ecology.