Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica)
This article focuses on the spatial distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point, an ice-free area of 1.16km2 located in Livingston Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). Fieldwork carried out in January 2014 consisted of floristic surveys and designation of a vegetation map. We hav...
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10451/36191 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.158 |
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ftunivlisboa:oai:repositorio.ul.pt:10451/36191 2023-05-15T13:37:33+02:00 Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica) Ruiz-Fernández, Jesús Oliva, Marc García-Hernández, Cristina 2018-12-27T10:47:13Z http://hdl.handle.net/10451/36191 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.158 eng eng Elsevier https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0048969717304072?token=94BF1AA42EC17DC06E83CE88B04DC18E6408FDCF4757C92FE3410DBB57E256F222823E7351D7DC341706CA4A6BFFFF8E Ruiz-Fernandez, J., Oliva, M., Garcia-Hernandez, C. (2017). Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica). Science of the Total Environment, 587, 340–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.158. 0048-9697 http://hdl.handle.net/10451/36191 doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.158 openAccess Animals Antarctic Regions Birds Bryophyta Ice Cover Islands Lichens Climate Change Environmental Monitoring article 2018 ftunivlisboa https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.158 2022-05-25T18:39:08Z This article focuses on the spatial distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point, an ice-free area of 1.16km2 located in Livingston Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). Fieldwork carried out in January 2014 consisted of floristic surveys and designation of a vegetation map. We have examined these data in a GIS environment together with topographical and geomorphological features existing in the peninsula in order to infer the factors controlling vegetation distribution. This has allowed quantifying the total area covered by the four different vegetation formations distributed across the peninsula, proliferating mainly on bedrock plateaus and Holocene raised beaches. Grass formation is essentially composed of Deschampsia antarctica, distributed almost exclusively on raised beaches, and covering 4.1% of the ice-free surface. The remaining three formations are fundamentally composed of cryptogam species. The first of which is fruticose lichen and moss formation, present on high bedrock plateaus and principally formed by lichens such as Usnea aurantiaco-atra. The next is the crustose lichen formation, spreading on bedrock plateaus near the coast populated by bird colonies. In this case, ornitocoprophilous lichens such as Caloplaca regalis, Xanthoria elegans and Haematomma erythromma are predominant. Together, both formations have colonised 5.1% of the peninsula. The last variety, moss carpet and moss cushion formation, occupies 1.4% of the deglaciated surface, spreading primarily in flooded areas, stabilised talus slopes, and bedrock plateaus as well. Therefore, the total surface colonised by vegetation is 12.2ha, which comprises 10.5% of the peninsula. Due to the retreat of the Rotch Dome glacier, 20.1ha remain ice-free since 1956 (17.3% of the deglaciated area). Ever since, even though the Antarctic Peninsula has registered one of the most significant temperature rises on Earth, vegetation has only colonised 0.04ha of this new space, which merely represents 0.3% of the vegetated area in Elephant ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Livingston Island South Shetland Islands Universidade de Lisboa: repositório.UL Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Dome Glacier ENVELOPE(-94.068,-94.068,79.452,79.452) Elephant Point ENVELOPE(-60.857,-60.857,-62.692,-62.692) Livingston Island ENVELOPE(-60.500,-60.500,-62.600,-62.600) Rotch ENVELOPE(-60.883,-60.883,-62.633,-62.633) Rotch Dome ENVELOPE(-60.883,-60.883,-62.633,-62.633) South Shetland Islands The Antarctic Science of The Total Environment 587-588 340 349 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Universidade de Lisboa: repositório.UL |
op_collection_id |
ftunivlisboa |
language |
English |
topic |
Animals Antarctic Regions Birds Bryophyta Ice Cover Islands Lichens Climate Change Environmental Monitoring |
spellingShingle |
Animals Antarctic Regions Birds Bryophyta Ice Cover Islands Lichens Climate Change Environmental Monitoring Ruiz-Fernández, Jesús Oliva, Marc García-Hernández, Cristina Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica) |
topic_facet |
Animals Antarctic Regions Birds Bryophyta Ice Cover Islands Lichens Climate Change Environmental Monitoring |
description |
This article focuses on the spatial distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point, an ice-free area of 1.16km2 located in Livingston Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). Fieldwork carried out in January 2014 consisted of floristic surveys and designation of a vegetation map. We have examined these data in a GIS environment together with topographical and geomorphological features existing in the peninsula in order to infer the factors controlling vegetation distribution. This has allowed quantifying the total area covered by the four different vegetation formations distributed across the peninsula, proliferating mainly on bedrock plateaus and Holocene raised beaches. Grass formation is essentially composed of Deschampsia antarctica, distributed almost exclusively on raised beaches, and covering 4.1% of the ice-free surface. The remaining three formations are fundamentally composed of cryptogam species. The first of which is fruticose lichen and moss formation, present on high bedrock plateaus and principally formed by lichens such as Usnea aurantiaco-atra. The next is the crustose lichen formation, spreading on bedrock plateaus near the coast populated by bird colonies. In this case, ornitocoprophilous lichens such as Caloplaca regalis, Xanthoria elegans and Haematomma erythromma are predominant. Together, both formations have colonised 5.1% of the peninsula. The last variety, moss carpet and moss cushion formation, occupies 1.4% of the deglaciated surface, spreading primarily in flooded areas, stabilised talus slopes, and bedrock plateaus as well. Therefore, the total surface colonised by vegetation is 12.2ha, which comprises 10.5% of the peninsula. Due to the retreat of the Rotch Dome glacier, 20.1ha remain ice-free since 1956 (17.3% of the deglaciated area). Ever since, even though the Antarctic Peninsula has registered one of the most significant temperature rises on Earth, vegetation has only colonised 0.04ha of this new space, which merely represents 0.3% of the vegetated area in Elephant ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ruiz-Fernández, Jesús Oliva, Marc García-Hernández, Cristina |
author_facet |
Ruiz-Fernández, Jesús Oliva, Marc García-Hernández, Cristina |
author_sort |
Ruiz-Fernández, Jesús |
title |
Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica) |
title_short |
Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica) |
title_full |
Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica) |
title_fullStr |
Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica) |
title_sort |
topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in elephant point (livingston island, maritime antarctica) |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10451/36191 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.158 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-94.068,-94.068,79.452,79.452) ENVELOPE(-60.857,-60.857,-62.692,-62.692) ENVELOPE(-60.500,-60.500,-62.600,-62.600) ENVELOPE(-60.883,-60.883,-62.633,-62.633) ENVELOPE(-60.883,-60.883,-62.633,-62.633) |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Dome Glacier Elephant Point Livingston Island Rotch Rotch Dome South Shetland Islands The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Dome Glacier Elephant Point Livingston Island Rotch Rotch Dome South Shetland Islands The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Livingston Island South Shetland Islands |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Livingston Island South Shetland Islands |
op_relation |
https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0048969717304072?token=94BF1AA42EC17DC06E83CE88B04DC18E6408FDCF4757C92FE3410DBB57E256F222823E7351D7DC341706CA4A6BFFFF8E Ruiz-Fernandez, J., Oliva, M., Garcia-Hernandez, C. (2017). Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica). Science of the Total Environment, 587, 340–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.158. 0048-9697 http://hdl.handle.net/10451/36191 doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.158 |
op_rights |
openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.158 |
container_title |
Science of The Total Environment |
container_volume |
587-588 |
container_start_page |
340 |
op_container_end_page |
349 |
_version_ |
1766093838333509632 |