Colobanthus quitensis
| Colobanthus quitensis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Antarctic pearlwort at St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Caryophyllaceae |
| Genus: | Colobanthus |
| Species: | C. quitensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Colobanthus quitensis | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Colobanthus quitensis, also known as the Antarctic pearlwort, is one of two native flowering plants found in the Antarctic region.[2] It has yellow flowers and grows about 5 cm (2 inches) tall, giving it a moss-like appearance. Due to climate change, the species has been spreading rapidly, particularly to areas outside of Antarctica.[3]
Description
[edit]_Bart_(Caryophyllaceae)_(39733512800).jpg)
Colobanthus quitensis has yellow flowers and grows about 5 cm (two inches) tall, with a cushion-like growth habit that gives it a moss-like appearance. It is an angiosperm, meaning that it is a plant that produces flowers. It relies on wind pollination because of the lack of bees and other pollinating insects in the Antarctic region.[4]
The Antarctic Pearlwort is a tracheophyte, or avascular plant,[4]meaning that it has tissue used for transporting nutrients called the xylem and the phloem.[5] This differs from mosses, who do not possess these features and are considered non-vascular plants.
Distribution
[edit]Colobanthus quitensis is found on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, on South Georgia,, South Shetland and the Falklands; also in the Andes, becoming increasingly rare northwards, but reaching Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, with a further isolated population in Mexico.[6] It is one of two flowering plants native to Antartica, with the other species being Deschampsia antartica, also called the Antartica Hair Grass.[7]
Climate change
[edit]
Within Antarctica, due to climate change, more seeds are germinating, creating a large number of seedlings and plants. Reports indicate a fivefold increase in these plants, which have extended their ranges southward and cover more extensive areas, wherever found. Research found that the Antarctic pearlwort spread nearly ten times faster during the period 2009 through 2018 compared to between 1960 and 2009.[8] Deschampsia antarctica (Antarctic hairgrass) is the only other native flowering plant in the region.[9] Although future global warming may relieve environmental stress and increase the plants ability to do processes such as photosynthesis, this warming may reduce the plants ability to resist freezing temperatures.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Colobanthus quitensis". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ Kozeretska, Iryna (2005), THE HERBARIUM OF ANTARCTIC VASCULAR PLANTS, National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, retrieved 9 February 2015
- ^ a b Acuña-Rodríguez, Ian S.; Torres-Díaz, Cristian; Hereme, Rasme; Molina-Montenegro, Marco A. (2017-09-18). "Asymmetric responses to simulated global warming by populations of Colobanthus quitensis along a latitudinal gradient". PeerJ. 5: e3718. doi:10.7717/peerj.3718. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 5607920. PMID 28948096.
- ^ a b "The Plants of Antarctica". oceanwide-expeditions.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ "Plant - Vascular, Photosynthesis, Reproduction | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ Colobanthus quitensis at botany.cz
- ^ Singh, Geetika (2023-10-05). "Climate Change in Antarctica Has Given Rise to Blooming Flowers". Earth.Org. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ "Flourishing plants show warming Antarctica undergoing 'major change'". the Guardian. 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ^ Rudolph, E. D. (Apr 1965), "Antarctic Lichens and Vascular Plants: Their Significance", BioScience, 15 (4), American Institute of Biological Sciences: 285–287, doi:10.2307/1293425, JSTOR 1293425
External links
[edit]
Media related to Colobanthus quitensis at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Colobanthus quitensis at Wikispecies- British Antarctic Survey - Plants
- Pearlwort & Hairgrass picture
