Vascular plant vegetation of the Southern Circumpolar Region in relation to antarctic, alpine, and arctic vegetation

Classification of southern circumpolar vegetation has been based upon a system quite different than that used for alpine and arctic vegetation. Although the flora and in part the physiognomy of the vegetation is quite different in the Southern Circumpolar Region, it is felt that a more uniform class...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Botany
Main Author: Bliss, L. C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1979
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b79-270
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b79-270
Description
Summary:Classification of southern circumpolar vegetation has been based upon a system quite different than that used for alpine and arctic vegetation. Although the flora and in part the physiognomy of the vegetation is quite different in the Southern Circumpolar Region, it is felt that a more uniform classification system is needed.This paper subdivides the vegetation of the southern polar region into a Subantarctic and an Antarctic Biome. The former includes closed forest, scrub fern bush, maritime and montane tussock grassland. The Antarctic Biome includes tundra-like closed vegetation, cushion plant open fellfield, and the grass-herb fellfield, moss and lichen communities of the Antarctic Continent and adjacent islands.