Researchers from Italy, Czech Republic, Chile, Usa and NZ will perform together multidisciplinary studies (persistent environmental contaminants, soil formation processes, colonization processes, biodiversity, phylogeny, genetic variability and adptation of Antarctic organisms) in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in northern Victoria Land (near the Italian Station Mario Zucchelli), in the James Ross Island (Antarctic Peninsula, near the Czech Station) and in Patagonia(Chilean Station for Ecological Studies). The results of field and lab research activities will published in scientific journals, specific book ("from Pole to Pole"), data will be made available through several portals (e.g., Antarctic Biodiversity Database, Antarctic Master Directory) and at least two international workshop (one in Siena spring 2007) and another in Brno (autumn 2008) will be organized to present and discuss the results of reaserch performed in the austral summer 2007/08