Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Presently there are over 300 algal taxa identified on Antarctica, with Bacillariophyceae and Chlorophyta (Green algae) being the most widespread on Antarctica. [8] Diatoms are abundant in aquatic environments decreasing in number in terrestrial habitats. [8]
The largest marine algae are kelp species, which include bull kelp (Durvillaea antarctica), which can reach over 20 metres (66 ft) long and is thought to be the strongest kelp in the world. As many as 47 individual plants can live on 1 square metre (10.8 sq ft), and they can grow at 60 centimetres (24 in) a day.
When dry, the thallus shrinks, increasing the density of its pigmentation and shielding itself from light; this effect is most prevalent in the marginal areas, which contain the most algae. [8] In situ measurements of this lichen's photosynthetic activity were conducted in continental Antarctica, showing it thrives in its habitat. Its high ...
In the waters around Antarctica, Isotealia antarctica is the principal predator of the sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri.This sea urchin habitually has fragments of red algae adhering to its spines, and often conceals itself among rooted or floating fronds of the red seaweed Phyllophora antarctica.
The Antarctic vegetation consists of algae or lichens, and some bacteria and fungi, although mosses and lichens dominate. The algae and lichens grow where there is moisture, and they hide in cracks to be protected from the wind. The dominant grassland is the tussock.
The holdfast of D. antarctica is large and is very difficult to remove. D. antarctica has to resist forces equivalent to 1100 km/h on land. [18] [clarification needed] The holdfast failing is usually the result of worms and molluscs which feed on the tissue because of the sheltered habitat it creates. [19]
Phaeocystis is a genus of algae belonging to the Prymnesiophyte class and to the larger division of Haptophyta. [1] It is a widespread marine phytoplankton and can function at a wide range of temperatures (eurythermal) and salinities . [2] Members of this genus live in the open ocean, as well as in sea ice. [3]
Algae Lake is a narrow, winding lake, 9 nautical miles (17 km) long and between 0.2 and 1 nautical mile (0.4 and 1.9 km) wide, extending in an east–west direction in the ice-free Bunger Hills of Antarctica.