Deschampsia antarctica

Deschampsia antarctica, the Antarctic hair grass, is one of two flowering plants native to Antarctica, the other being Colobanthus quitensis (Antarctic pearlwort).

Deschampsia antarctica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Deschampsia
Species:
D. antarctica
Binomial name
Deschampsia antarctica
Synonyms[1]
  • Airidium elegantulum Steud.
  • Deschampsia elegantula (Steud.) Parodi
  • Deschampsia henrardii Kloos

They mainly occur on the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands, and along the western Antarctic Peninsula. A recent warming trend has increased germination, and thus number of seedlings and plants, also extending their range southward to cover larger areas; reports indicate a twenty-fivefold increase in their number.[2]

Deschampsia antarctica has been recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records as the southernmost flowering plant. In 1981, a specimen was found on the Antarctic Peninsula's Refuge Islands at a latitude of 68°21′S.[3][4]

Since 2009, both D. antarctica and C. quitensis have been spreading rapidly, which studies suggest has been the result of rising air temperatures and a reduction in the number of fur seals.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Deschampsia antarctica". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  2. Lichens, Antarctic; Significance, Vascular Plants: Their; Rudolph, E. D. (Apr 1965), "American Institute of Biological Sciences", BioScience, American Institute of Biological Sciences, 15 (4): 285–287, doi:10.2307/1293425, JSTOR 1293425
  3. Young, Mark C., ed. (1996). Guinness Book of World Records 1997. Guinness Publishing Ltd. pp. 42. ISBN 0-9652383-0-X.
  4. Wali, Mohan K.; Evrendilek, Fatih; Fennessy, M. Siobhan (July 2009). The Environment: Science, Issues, and Solutions. CRC Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4200-0733-6. Retrieved 25 Sep 2016.
  5. "Flourishing plants show warming Antarctica undergoing 'major change'". the Guardian. 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
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