Colonization and demographic structure of Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis along an altitudinal gradient on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Polar research

María Luisa Vera¹ 

[1] Department of Organisms and Systems Biology, University of Oviedo Catedrático Rodrigo Uría s/n, ES-33071Oviedo Spain Correspondence

关键词: Antarctic vascular plants;    altitude and habitat effect;    colonization;    population structure;   

DOI  :  10.3402/polar.v30i0.7146

学科分类：自然科学（综合）

来源: Co-Action Publishing

【 摘 要 】

The colonization capacity and demographic structure of populations of Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis were studied in different microhabitats between 10 and 147 m a.s.l. on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, near the Spanish Antarctic base Juan Carlos I, in February 2002. At the highest site (147 m a.s.l.), mean temperatures were about 1°C lower than at sea level. Both species are less common in inland areas and at the highest altitudes only occur at restricted sites that are frequently snow-free in the early austral summer. The diameters of the largest plants (C. quitensis cushions 7–8 cm; D. antarctica tufts 10–11 cm) in the populations growing at the highest altitudes (110 and 147 m a.s.l.) suggest that these populations were established about 24–28 years ago. The largest diameter plants (Deschampsia 20 cm; Colobanthus 18 cm) were found at the lowest altitudes on deep soil. The presence of numerous seedlings and young individuals on the periphery of populations established seve...

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC