Not much grows on these barren rocks
Plants are usually at the base of a food chain. In Antarctica this position is held by the phytoplankton living in the upper, sun-lit levels of the southern ocean, and fed by nutrients welling up from the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They are eaten by krill, a small shrimp-like critter which is a very popular food for penguins, baleen whales and other large animals. It is estimated that there is between 125 and 725 million tons of this one species in the southern ocean, making it the most successful species on Earth.
Since we were only visiting the part of Antarctica above sea level, we did not get to see any krill. There are a few plants growing in the terrestrial environment, but not many.
Algae
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There are two types of algae that actually grow
in the snow: Red snow algae, and Green snow algae. They grow in
older snow fields. Faster moving glaciers don't seem to get
colored by the algae. Green algae also grow on the underside of floating ice where it forms a secondary food source for Krill Some kelp also grows in Antarctic waters, and is shown here washed ashore on Half Moon Island. |
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Lichen
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Lichens grow on the rocks, both the loose rocks on the surface, and on the faces of cliffs too steep to hold snow or ice. |
Moss
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Mosses are about it for greenery in Antarctica. They occur only where they can be safe from ice scouring. We were warned to avoid stepping on the moss since it is delicate and easily damaged. |
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Grass
Once,
on Roberts Island, in the South Shetland Islands, we same across a few
tufts of Sedge Grass. That was all we ever saw of higher plant life.
Horticulture is unknown in Antarctica, and any botanists down here will
have a very narrow speciality.