Discussion on the papers on life sciences
R . M. Laws Would Dr Holdgate amplify his brief comments on time as a factor? Can we expect these simple ecosystems to become more diverse and complex? M. W. Holdgate These ecosystems may be impoverished for two reasons: the harsh polar environment and the difficulties of colonizing the habitats ava...
| Published in: | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Royal Society
1977
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1977.0076 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstb.1977.0076 |
| Summary: | R . M. Laws Would Dr Holdgate amplify his brief comments on time as a factor? Can we expect these simple ecosystems to become more diverse and complex? M. W. Holdgate These ecosystems may be impoverished for two reasons: the harsh polar environment and the difficulties of colonizing the habitats available across the wide sea barriers of the Southern Ocean. I believe that the Antarctic does present some of the features of an oceanic island in this respect. Probably more species will succeed in invading habitats in the maritime Antarctic as time goes by, assuming that the climate does not deteriorate. Experimental introductions suggest that more vascular plants could probably live in the most favourable places if they could reach them, and I would expect the same to apply to invertebrates. |
|---|