Phytogeography of Antarctica

Abstract

Existing schemes of phytogeographic subdivision of Antarctica and adjacent ocean are reviewed. Russian studies which commenced in the 1950s are reviewed for the first time in the Western literature. Records of lichen and moss occurrence from seventy-five scattered locations in the Australian Antarctic Territory, eastern Antarctica, are analysed for phyto- geographic patterns. Problems in the data are discussed; the main limitation is inconsistent quality of collecting. Using a polythetic agglomerative classification the localities form seven groups: large coastal outcrops of ice-free rock, Mawson Coast, Framnes Mountains, peninsulas near Casey Station, Windmill Islands, Prince Charles Mountains and floristically rich islands. The thirty-six species of lichens and five species of mosses form five groups, each with a characteristic ecological pattern. The species-groups correspond rea- sonably well with communities described from elsewhere in Antarctica. We do not erect any new subdivisions but accept the following existing phytogeographic subdivisions: Subantarctic Zone with three Regions