Discussion on the preceding papers

1967 ◽  
Vol 252 (777) ◽  
pp. 289-294 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Maritime Antarctic ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
Lichen Community ◽  
Coastal Cliffs ◽  
Crustose Lichens ◽  
The Antarctic

J. E. Smith . Dr Longton’s slides of orange patches of Xanthoria lichens on Antarctic cliffs were reminiscent of coastal cliffs in temperate regions. Is this lichen community essentially maritime in the Antarctic? R. E. Longton. The Caloplaca-Xanthoria community certainly resembles the associations of orange crustose lichens of coastal cliffs in temperate regions. It is particularly well developed on coastal cliffs in many places in the Antarctic, but smaller areas occur inland, for example in the Tottanfjella, some 300 km from the sea. There are other parallels between growth form, and indeed in the genera represented, in the cryptogamic vegetation of Antarctic and temperate regions, an example being the associations of lichens and cushion mosses on montane rocks. M. W. Holdgate. To what extent does South Georgia vegetation resemble that of the Maritime Antarctic in the composition and distribution of its cryptogamic communities? To what degree could one describe the plant communities of the former as corresponding to those of the latter, but with the superimposition of a vascular plant element?

Vegetation ecology and classification in the Antarctic Zone

1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (20) ◽  
pp. 2264-2278 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Longton
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
Hierarchical Classification ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Summer Temperature ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Maritime Antarctic ◽  
Plant Community Ecology ◽  
Vegetation Water ◽  
The Antarctic

A review is presented of plant community ecology within the Antarctic Botanical Zone. The vegetation is formed largely of mosses, lichens, and algae but hepatics also occur and two native species of flowering plants are locally abundant. A hierarchical classification is outlined in which the vegetation is divided into two formations dominated, respectively, by flowering plants and by cryptogams. The antarctic nonvascular cryptogam tundra formation comprises eight physiognomically distinct subformations, while associations within subformations are recognized on the basis of constancy, and sociations within associations by cover of the dominant species. It is shown that the classification is applicable at a range of climatically diverse localities in the maritime and continental Antarctic regions. The position of the Antarctic communities in relation to worldwide and polar–alpine vegetation classification is briefly discussed.Low summer temperature is suggested as a major factor determining the essentially cryptogamic nature of Antarctic vegetation. Water availability and exposure appear to be of primary importance in controlling the distribution of the cryptogamic growth form types, both within localities in the vegetationally relatively diverse maritime Antarctic, and between the maritime and the more sparsely vegetated continental regions. With certain exceptions, there appear to be few successional relationships between the major vegetation types.

Short Note: Micropropagation of Antarctic Colobanthus quitensis

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo E. Zúñiga ◽  
Pablo Zamora ◽  
Marcelo Ortega ◽  
Alberto Obrecht
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Short Note ◽  
Falkland Islands ◽  
Maritime Antarctic ◽  
Colobanthus Quitensis ◽  
The Andes ◽  
The Antarctic

The Antarctic Pearlwort, Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth.) Bartl. (Caryophyllaceae) is one of the two native vascular plant species that have successfully colonized the maritime Antarctic during the Holocene (Smith 1984). Within the Antarctic biome, it is only found on the Antarctic Peninsula and on islands in the maritime Antarctic (Smith 1984). Its distribution also includes South Georgia (sub-Antarctic), the Falkland Islands, and sites along the Andes, reaching c. 10°N in Mexico (Moore 1970). Moore (1970) observed that C. quitensis is self-compatible and appears to be largely, if not entirely, self-pollinated. Convey (1996), found that maritime Antarctic C. quitensis showed lower allocation to seed production than plants from sub-Antarctic sites.

Three new Craticula species (Bacillariophyta) from the Maritime Antarctic Region

Phytotaxa ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 213 (1) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Van de Vijver ◽  
Katerina Kopalova ◽  
Ralitsa Zidarova
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscope ◽  
New Taxa ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Maritime Antarctic ◽  
Antarctic Region ◽  
Diatom Flora ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Scanning Electron

Three new diatom taxa belonging to the genus Craticula were found during the ongoing taxonomic revision of the Antarctic freshwater and limno-terrestrial diatom flora: Craticula australis, sp. nov., C. obaesa, sp. nov and C. petradeblockiana, sp. nov. Detailed light and scanning electron microscope observations are used to better characterize the morphology and ultrastructure of these three new taxa. A fourth Craticula taxon, formerly identified as Navicula megacuspidata, described from South Georgia, is transferred to the genus Craticula and its taxonomy is briefly discussed. Comparisons with similar taxa and the ecological preferences of each species are added. The revision of these species confirms once again the endemic nature of the Antarctic diatom flora.

Conservation in the Antarctic

1977 ◽  
Vol 279 (963) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Falkland Islands ◽  
Voluntary Agreement ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
Tristan Da Cunha ◽  
Conservation Measures ◽  
Antarctic Seals ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Antarctic

Formidable legal and administrative complexities arise from conflicting claims to jurisdiction and the continued absence of generally recognized sovereignty over much of the region. Existing conservation measures fall into three groups: elaborate laws made by governments claiming Antarctic territories, more restricted laws, and simple instructions for particular expeditions. The Antarctic Treaty, 1959, made it possible to begin coordinating all these separate instruments. No claimed jurisdiction has been surrendered or recognized: each government has started to harmonize its own control measures with the ‘Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora’, 1964. This scheme applied only to land areas and has since been evolving in the light of experience. Although not yet formally approved by all the governments concerned, it is working effectively by voluntary agreement. Different approaches are necessary for conservation of Southern Ocean resources, especially krill. A start has been made with the ‘ Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals’, 1972. There are many outstanding problems: all require effective cooperation between scientific and legal advisers, diplomats and politicians. Mention is made of recent British conservation legislation for South Georgia, the Falkland Islands and the Tristan da Cunha group. Some of the next steps are outlined.

Movements of southern elephant seals

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (8) ◽  
pp. 1485-1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. McConnell ◽  
M. A. Fedak
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Stationary Phases ◽  
Mirounga Leonina ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
Southern Elephant Seals ◽  
The Antarctic

Twelve southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) were tracked for an average of 119 days as they left their breeding or moulting beaches on the island of South Georgia between 1990 and 1994. Females travelled either eastward up to 3000 km away to the open Southern Ocean or to the continental shelf on or near the Antarctic Peninsula. Males either stayed close to South Georgia or used South Georgia as a base for shorter trips. The females all left South Georgia in a directed manner at an average rate of 79.4 km/day over at least the first 15 days. Thereafter travel was interrupted by bouts of slower travel or stationary phases. The latter were localized at sites on the continental shelf or along its edge. Three seals that were tracked over more than one season repeated their outward direction of travel and used some of the same sites in subsequent years. The magnitude of the movements makes most of the Southern Ocean potentially available to elephant seals.

scholarly journals Human Activity in Antarctica: Effects on Metallic Trace Elements (MTEs) in Plants and Soils

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2593
Author(s):  
Jaime Tapia ◽  
Marco Molina-Montenegro ◽  
Camila Sandoval ◽  
Natalia Rivas ◽  
Jessica Espinoza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Activity ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy ◽  
Flame Atomic Absorption ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Metallic Trace Elements ◽  
Metallic Trace Element ◽  
The Antarctic

Colobanthus quitensis (Kunt) is one of the two vascular plant species present in Antarctica and develops under severe environmental conditions, being found in both pristine and human-threatened environments. We determined the Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn levels in C. quitensis roots, leaves, and soils of origin using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. In January 2017, we collected samples from four geographical zones on the longitudinal gradient along which C. quitensis is distributed, starting from Punta Arenas (PAR) at the extreme south of mainland Chile and moving southwards to the Antarctic territory from King George Island (KGI) to Hannah Point Peninsula (PHA) and finally Lagotellerie Island (LAT). We used certified reference material to validate the plant tissues and soil samples we collected. The highest concentrations of metals that we measured in the soils and in the C. quitensis roots and leaves were in samples we collected at the KGI station, the zone with the greatest human activity. The lowest concentrations we measured were at the LAT station, an island with little human intervention and scarce fauna. The mean concentrations of metals in the roots and leaves of C. quitensis followed a similar order at all sampling locations: Mn > Zn > Cu > Ni > Pb > Cr > Cd. In contrast, in soil, they followed the following order: Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > Pb > Ni > Cd. The concentration levels obtained for the different metals in the soil and plants tissue samples in this region of Antarctica indicated that the area was non-polluted. However, the metallic trace element (MTE) concentrations may be at an early stage of contamination, as described in other areas of the Antarctic, being a new threat to this continent.

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