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AlgaeThe richest terrestrial floral environments in the Antarctic are in the soaks and runoff slopes on the fringes of penguin colonies. Sheets of green algae are hardy enough to survive the constant traffic of birds going to and from the colonies.Another biological oddity in the Antarctic is red snow. This is caused by red pigments in some species of green algae, which survive on the surface of the snow in areas around the coast. Return |  |
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Lichens & MossesLichens are an association between algae and fungi, found where they need each other to be able to survive. They are a pioneering or colonizing form of vegetation that has developed physiological adaptations to cope with the extremes of low temperatures and drought.Lichens tend to occur hidden in cracks where snow collects on northern exposures, where the spare sunlight is the most abundant. In even the harshest places, algae and fungi have been found growing in minute crevices beneath the surface of light-coloured semi-translucent rocks, through which warmth and sunlight can penetrate. The Peninsula is home to 200 lichen species. Lichen and moss beds in Antarctica are very slow growing and any interference is usually long-lasting: A boot print on a moss carpet may still be seen for years after. Return |
Flowering PlantsOnly two species of flowering plants (angiosperms) occur on the entire continent: a single grass species, Deschampsia antarctica, and a small cushion-forming plant or pearlwort, Colobanthus quintensis. Both are restricted to the more temperate part of the Antarctic peninsula. Return |  |
No land vertebrates can survive Antarctica's harsh conditions. The
continent's largest permanent inhabitant is a 1/2 in. (12 mm) long midge.
Amongst the meager vegetation that does survive, some beetles, mites, and
anthropoids such as spring tails may be found, particularly near penguin and
petrel colonies -- although one species of mite has been found within several
hundred miles of the South Pole. While tiny insects such as nematode worms,
rotifers and mites occur in damper mosses and soils, most of the animal
population is made up of microscopic protozoan (single-celled creatures).
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| Photography ©Jonathan Chester, Extreme Images | © 1995 Terraquest. All Rights Reserved. |
Antarctica's land-based ecosystems are, in most cases, very primitive. This
makes the continent an ideal place to study the inter-relationships between the various
components of an ecosystem. During the short summer growing season the
presence of water determines where lichens, mosses and algae can survive.
This class of life is by far the most numerous in Antarctica: over 400 types
of lichens and 85 kinds of mosses have been identified in the region.