Antarctic Vegetation and Wildlife

Class 7 - ICSE Board - Antarctic Vegetation and Wildlife - Videos, NCERT Solutions, Studies and Testing

Observe Antarctic vegetation and wildlife in the shape of a history in high-quality animation clips. Thanks for viewing the example film. To view the full movie, please sign up. You sure you want to finish the test? You' ve already done a review for this movie, please allow 30 working nights to post your next one. Your feedback has been published.

The Antarctic usually stays quite sparse. Cool weather and lack of ground coverage do not promote planting. Moss and lichens sometimes develop in the short summers when the Antarctic peninsular temperature is above zero. Smelting sea ices in the coastline promote the development of lichen, moss, seaweed and weed.

In Antarctica there are only two types of blossoming plant that grows during the short summers. Even under these harsh circumstances, only the lichen seems to thrive. There are over 200 lichens in Antarctica. Its sparse vegetation is able to feed only small rural bugs. You can download the application, view example videos and get a free test version to study on the go.

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Antarctica-Clip H227

On the Antarctic continent, plants are relatively scarce and the plants must be able to cope with the harsh environment on the few ice-free areas. In the Antarctic there are no tree or shrub and only two blooming plants, the Antarctic Hairgrass (Deschampsia antarctica) and the Antarctic Pearlweed (Colobanthus quitensis), which grows on the Antarctic Peninsula and some Antarctic Isles (1)(3).

The majority of the Antarctic vegetation is composed of lower groups of plants such as moss, liverwort and lichen. Lichen and some moss also grow on wind-whipped, arid cliffs and are well suited for the rough climates (1)(2)(3). There are also a number of fungal varieties in Antarctica (1)(3).

Though Antarctica is low in higher vegetation, it supports unicellular seaweed that grows both on shore and in the sea, where it contributes to the "phytoplankton" that is an important part of the maritime nutritional value chains (1). More temperate, humid subantarctic isles are better suited for crop growing, and most have a slightly more varied selection of flowers and fern (3)(5)(13)(14)(16).

This includes the sockgrass, a high, sturdy crop that often provides the highest vegetation layer (3)(14). Mankind' s activity on these isles has also resulted in the introduction of many non-native flora and fauna (3)(16). Antarctica has no natural terrestrial mammal, but the nearby seas are home to a wide variety of sea cetaceans.

Among the six Antarctic seals are the Grey seals (Hydrurga leptonyx), the Rossrobbe ( "Ommatophoca rossii"), the Weddellrobbe ( "Leptonychotes weddellii") and the crab seals (Lobodon carcinophaga), which breed in early season on the ocean rice (1)(3). Weddell seals breed further southwards than any other animal (4). Further types, among them the Antarctic coat seals (Arctocephalus gazella) and the southerly Elefanten robbe (Mirounga leonina), occur further northerly (1)(3).

The Antarctic seals are all well suited to the coldness, with thick bubbles and isolating coats (3)(6). Antarctica's Southern Ocean is also home to many different cetaceans, such as the Antarctic dwarf rightback ( "Balaenoptera bonaerensis"), the great finback ( "Physeter macrocephalus"), and the region's top predator ( "Balaenoptera physalus"), among them the hour-glass rightwhaleen ( "Lagenorhynchus cruciger") (15).

The majority of Antarctic whales migrate northwards to warm water to give life and return in early summer to nourish in the abundant Southern Ocean water (1)(3)(6). While the subantarctic islets are also devoid of indigenous terrestrial animals, man has imported a wide range of non-native wildlife such as rivals, mouse, cat, rabbit, lamb and deer, which often have harmful effects on indigenous breeds (3)(4)(9)(14)(17).

Maybe they are one of the most famous Antarctic wildlife. Although all types of male are limited to the South ( (1)(2)(3), only two, the Imperial and the Adélie are truly Antarctic and breed on the Antarctic continents. But two other types, the Chin-Strapinguin ( "Pygoscelis antarcticus") and the Donkeyguin ( "Pygoscelis papua"), can be found on the gentler parts of the Antarctic Peninsula and on Antarctic isles ((1)(3)(5)(6),

whereas other types of the penguin, among them the kingspeak ( "Aptenodytes patagonicus") and the Makkaroni linguin ( "Eudyptes chrysolophus"), are found further northerly on subantarctic isles ((1)(3)(4)(6). Not only are pens good for bathing and scuba-dive, they also have a number of adjustments to the coldness, such as a thick fatty film under the hide and superimposed watertight plumes (1)(2)(3)(4)(6).

Antarctic and subantarctic water also hosts a large number of sea birds, with the Antarctic and subantarctic islets being important nesting sites for many of them. Sea birds in the county includes albumatrosses such as the Wanderalbatros (Diomedea exulans) and the Black-browed Albatros (Thalassarche melanophrys), raptors such as the Antarctic Prion (Thalassoica antarctica) and the blizzard (Pagodroma nivea), and a multitude of shearing water, skua and gull (1)(3)(4).

In Antarctica there are few native landfowl. South Georgia is home to Antarctica's only Antarctic singing bird, the South Georgia Longclaw (Anthus antarcticus) and the South Georgia Pinktail, an indigenous sub-species of the Yellow-billed Pinktail (Anas georgica) (3)(4)(16). There are a number of other continental landfowl on other subantarctic isles, among them the subantarctic isles of New Zealand (13) and on the Macquarie Isles (14).

In Antarctica there are no reptilian or Amphibia types (3). In Antarctica there are about 200 types of catfish (2)(4), most of which are slow-growing and adapt to the coldness (2). Most Antarctic cod originate from the Nototheniidae genealogy, generally known as Antarctic cod, which include types such as Notothenia nudifron es and Notothenia coriceps (2)(3)(4).

Most of these types have anti-freeze in their genealogy (1)(2)(3)(4)(9). The other Antarctic freshwater shrimps are the Dissostichus mawsoni, the Dissostichus eleginoides und the chameleon ice-fish (Champsocephalus gunnari) (1)(4). Icefishes ( "Channichthyidae" species) are the only vertebrate animals that are lacking the reddish oxyphen pigment hemoglobin in their hemoglobin supply (1)(2)(3)(4)(9).

Consequently, these fascinating animals have clear body and white meat (1)(2)(3). Antarctic invertebrates are relatively impoverished and consist mainly of spring-tails, dust mites and nematodes (1)(2)(3). However the density of populations of these types can often be high (3). A number of other endemic insects can be found on the gentler subantarctic islets, among them the spider, beetle, earthworm and fly (1)(3).

Antarctic water is home to a large number of invertebrate organisms, which include shellfish, amphipodes, worms, shellfish, fungi, corals as well as thaleidae such as the starfish (Odontaster validus) and the Antarctic Echinoid (Sterechinus neumayeri) (1)(2). There is a wealth of marine plankton under the ocean floor, which provides a plentiful supply of nourishment for many different fish and in some areas an unbelievable 155,000 birds per sq. m. of seabed have been registered (1).

The Antarctic continent has many unusually large specimens, such as the Antarctic Isopode ( "Glyptonotus antarcticus"), in comparison to its counterparts in other parts of the globe (1). Antarctica also has a large number of octopus, among them the large Archituthis (2)(3) colossal Cuttlefish. The most important Antarctic Antarctica fish is perhaps the Antarctic Euphausia supraba.

In spite of its small dimensions, in Antarctica it is a crucial part of the human diet as it is the basic foodstuff for a large number of species of birds, cetaceans, sea birds, cetaceans, reptiles and cetaceans. Antarctica, as a secluded, enemy wildlife, is still the world' s desert land, frequented only by scholars and visitors (3)(4). Antarctic wildlife has been explored for many years.

The cetaceans of the area first migrated people to Antarctica and many of them were heavily overfished (1)(3)(6)(18). While some of these are now largely conserved, they will need to recuperate after an earlier decline (3)(6) and could face further risks from sea-polluting, tourist disturbances, competitiveness and interaction with fishing and the impacts of climatic changes (18).

In Antarctica, many sea birds are also threatened, in particular by casualty mortalities due to longlining, using bait ropes on which sea birds can be fished (1)(3)(5). There are also risks of contamination, decimation of fishery resources and changes in the environment due to climatic changes (1)(5).

Imported non-native invertebrates have also had disastrous consequences for sea bird populations, with a number of subantarctic island chickens killed by a number of rivals and females (4)(11)(12)(16). In South Georgia, the arrival of rivals is also causing the South Georgia peeper to die out, and this breed now only hatches on rat-free off shore isles ((12)(16).

Besides imported carnivores such as rat and cat, non-native grazers such as reindeers and bunnies are ruining indigenous vegetation and changing habitat on many subantarctic isles, while imported non-native crops are also expanding (9)(14)(16)(17). Because of the remote and rough weather of the Antarctic continents, the effects of imported varieties have been largely mitigated.

Several invertebrates and plants have been introduced, but these have not yet become common (3). Southern Ocean industrial fisheries only started in the 60s but were not regulated in the first few years, leading to a sharp decline in the number of fish such as Notothenia rose (1)(3). The most important targets are Dissostichus eleginoides and Dissostichus mawsoni (3)(5).

Illicit, undeclared and unrecorded fisheries, however, remain a major issue and undermine the effort to farm fisheries resources. There is an increasing call for different types of krill, sometimes for foodstuffs for humans, but more often for the production of fodder for cultured animals and for use in dietary supplementation (1)(2)(4)(5). The population of the Antarctic Karrill is in decline (5) and the amount of water harvested must be controlled if it is not to have a serious impact on the Antarctic coastal ecosystems (2).

Among the more localized anthropogenic influences in Antarctica are contamination and disturbances of the animal world by researchers and other observers, although there are now stringent rules to minimize harm to the natural habitat (1)(3). Oils continue to be a threat (1)(6) and there are concerns that the increasing number of tourism that visits the area could have a negative impact on the Antarctic marine ecosystem (1)(3)(5)(6).

While Antarctica prohibits petroleum exploration and extractive activities (1)(3)(5)(6)(19), "biological prospection" (study of the peculiarities of Antarctic varieties for use in trade or medicinal products) could potentially become a hazard (5)(19). The greatest imminent danger to Antarctica in the near term is perhaps to be found in the context of current and potential changes in the Earth's atmosphere. Antarctica is crucial to many major international operations, which include ocean warming and the absorption of CO by the seas.

Therefore, Antarctic changes could have a global impact (1)(6)(7). While the impacts of Antarctic climatic changes are complicated and not fully understanding, recent modelling predicts that the melt of the Antarctic West Antarctic shield could help to raise ocean levels by up to 1.4 meters by 2100 (7).

As an example, royal shrimps (Neolithodes yaldwyni), a predator of the Antarctic continent, are already migrating to the Antarctic shelves and are likely to have a significant impact on other fishes ( 21). Growing green house gas emissions such as CO2, which are thought to be responsible for promoting the world' s climatic changes, also lead to an increase in the acid content of the oceans.

An elevated acid content can impair the capacity of sea creatures to shell, and thus probably also endanger endocrine life such as crustacea and coral (1)(5)(7). A major discovery in Antarctica is the "ozone hole", a hazardous dilution of the top part of the Earth's surface air due to the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

It may increase the amount of harmful ultraviolet rays entering Antarctica and may have a significant impact on the Antarctic marine environment (1)(3)(7).