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Algae is present in almost all ice-free areas and occurs in soils, as epiphytes on mosses, in cyanobacterial mats and in plankton of lakes and ponds. [8] It is also possible to find algae associated with rocks or living in the thin film of melted water in the snow patches. [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.
Declines in the duration and extent of sea ice in the Arctic leads to declines in the abundance of ice algae, which thrive in nutrient-rich pockets in the ice. These algae are eaten by zooplankton, which are in turn eaten by Arctic cod, an important food source for many marine mammals, including seals. Seals are eaten by polar bears.
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.
An Antarctic endemic species, the crust-like lichen Buellia frigida, has been used as a model organism in astrobiology research. [124] The same features can be observed in algae and cyanobacteria, suggesting that they are adaptations to the conditions prevailing in Antarctica.
Endolith lifeform found inside an Antarctic rock. An endolith or endolithic is an organism (archaeon, bacterium, fungus, lichen, algae, sponge, or amoeba) that is able to acquire the necessary resources for growth in the inner part of a rock, [1] mineral, coral, animal shells, or in the pores between mineral grains of a rock.
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 ...
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.