The relationship between Microenvironmental Features and Distribution of Lichen Cladonia in Antarctica

Abstract

The Barton Peninsula of King George Island, Antarctica, is a small area but their topographical features including a variety of slopes, aspect, and elevation result in a various microclimate and diverse vegetation such as lichens, mosses, liverworts, and vascular plants. Among terrestrial vegetation, lichens are sensitively affected nearby environmental condition because the whole body of a lichen is directly exposed to external environments. However, the environmental factors that largely determine the distribution of lichen in Antarctica have been poorly understood across the Barton peninsula. To investigate the distribution pattern of lichens Cladonia squamosa and C.gracilis complex that are widely distributed in Barton Peninsula and the factor that influences their distribution, a total of 177 Cladonia samples were collected in 11 different sites and frequency of distribution of vegetation, microclimatic and topographic data were obtained at each site. There were several sites, which were observed to inhabit only one species of Cladonia. Correlation analyses between the distribution of Cladonia species and environmental data revealed that distribution of moss Chorisodintium aciphyllum, aspect, temperature, and moisture were closely related to a distribution of Cladonia species. These results imply that various geographical features and microclimate conditions can affect the distribution of lichen and environmental shift may cause a change in a distribution of vegetation.