Lichen And Algae
January 7, 2009
Way, way, long ago, Antarctica had rain forests. Now, it’s just bare rock and ice, a total desert on land.
But wait! There is life among the rocks, after all. As snow melts this summer, we’re seeing spots of lichen and algae that were hidden underneath. Snow algae is green and spreads in carpets over wet, muddy spots beneath snowfields, and the lichen is bright orange and clings to rocks, also around the edges of snowfields. They’re the closest thing we’ve got to real plants, so I like to imagine I’m walking through a lush forest as I step over little patches of algae and navigate among lichen-covered rocks. It’s incredible that they survive the long Antarctic winters.
Orange Lichen Clings To Rocks
Green Algae Grows In Wet Spots
2 Responses to 'Lichen And Algae'
Subscribe to comments with RSS or TrackBack to 'Lichen And Algae'.
We have seen similar wonders in Iceland where the crust of the earth is so thin it resonates as you walk on it and the landscape is full of smoking fumeroles. First sign of plant life are the lichens, then come the mosses who on a geological timesacale are followed bu tiny most delicate bluebells progressing thrugh grasses to 8″tall willows and much later, birche. All still less than knee high. A real wonderland of earth in formation like Antarctica at the other end of the scale which has the last vestiges of lush pland growth.
Arija
8 Jan 09 at 5:54 am
Loved the photo of the orange crustose lichen. Amazing color in a predominately white landscape. Now if you could photograph one of the small (to 10cm) cushion mosses documented in your area that would be awesome. Reportedly occurring “up to 0.5km NE of the hut on N and NW facing slopes” and on slopes “above the coastal cliffs about 1km S of the penguin colonies”.
Your blog is a fascinating window into a world I’ll never personally experience. Keep up the great reports/photographs. It’s obvious you love what you’re doing which is a great space to be at 22!
John Koenig
9 Jan 09 at 7:10 am