A Holocene moss species preserved in lake sediment core and the present moss diversity at Schirmacher Oasis, Antarctica

• Published in: Antarctic Science
• Main Authors: Singh, S.M., Ochyra, R., Pednekar, S.M., Asthana, R., Ravindra, R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2012
• Subjects: Geology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Oceanography; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Dronning Maud Land; Antarc*; Antarctic Science; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102012000211; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102012000211

Abstract The sub-fossil moss Pohlia nutans is recorded from lake sediment cores at Schirmacher Oasis, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. It was isolated from 160–162 cm depth of a sediment core. Radiocarbon ( 14 C) dates by accelerator mass spectrometry confirmed its age to be 10.65 kyr bp . The preserved Holocene sub-fossil moss includes delicate leaves, axes and rhizoids and matches perfectly the extant specimens of P. nutans. This is the first record of this sub-fossil from Dronning Maud Land, although the species is common as present-day flora in other parts of the Antarctic. The present status of the moss flora of Schirmacher Oasis is also discussed, including its diversity, ecology and biogeography.