Colonisation of stranded whale bones by lichens and mosses at Hennequin Point, King George Island, Antarctica

ABSTRACT This paper presents the details of lichens and mosses found on whale vertebrae substratum in the Admiralty Bay area, King George Island, Antarctica. Samples were taken in the coastal area at Hennequin Point, a relict of the Antarctic whaling era. The samples were collected from the upper su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Record
Main Authors: de Albuquerque, Margéli Pereira, Putzke, Jair, Schünemann, Adriano Luis, Vieira, Frederico Costa Beber, Victoria, Filipe de Carvalho, Pereira, Antonio Batista
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2018
Subjects:
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Ecology
Geography, Planning and Development
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Austral
King George Island
Admiralty Bay
Hennequin
Hennequin Point
Antarc*
Antarctica
Polar Record
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247418000062
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247418000062
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT This paper presents the details of lichens and mosses found on whale vertebrae substratum in the Admiralty Bay area, King George Island, Antarctica. Samples were taken in the coastal area at Hennequin Point, a relict of the Antarctic whaling era. The samples were collected from the upper surface of the whale bones found in the study area during the austral summer 2010–2011. A total of 15 lichen and two moss species were found. All species sampled are known in the Admiralty Bay area, both as pioneers and in more advanced succession stages in ice-free areas. These results suggest that the colonisation of whale bones is not new for Antarctic plants, but it is an additional substrate on which these plants can develop. A map showing the distribution of colonised bones and details of the usual substrata for the lichens and mosses found in this study are provided.

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