How has Antarctic Hair Grass adapted to the Antarctic?

Answer 1

There are very few plants in Antarctica. There are only two "higher order" or vascular flowering plants that are native to Antarctica and these are found only on the northern-most peninsula. The other plant life there includes mosses, fungi or lichens, algae or liverworts. The difficulties for plant life in Antarctica are: * low light (available energy) levels because of the latitude and the weather

* poor quality (degraded) soils * high altitudes in some areas * low precipitation (Rainfall/snowfall is less than 200-500mm/year and the majority occurs near the coast. Antarctica is a desert climate.) * low availability of moisture. (Water is frozen and not readily available to plants.) * high wind speeds * low temperatures * except in the dry valleys and on exposed rocks, where snow either does not fall or is blown away, the ground remains snow covered year round because there is no summer-long thaw, further restricting light access.

Adaptations plants have made to survive in Antarctica are: * being dark coloured to absorb as much light as possible * growing in crevices, under rocks and within porous rocks for shelter * growing in colonies to share resources * growing very low in profile to reduce exposure to the elements * being efficient at retaining water * having processes that are very efficient at low temperatures * reacting quickly to use available light and water when they are available

Answer 2

This plant only grows on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, and farther north on the sub-Antarctic islands.

It is a short grass growing only in soil that thaws, so it can grow roots. It is a short plant that grows in clusters, so that it can withstand wind. It's flowers point directly toward the sun, to maximize its effect on its growth.

Answer 3

This plant -- Deschampsia antarctica -- grows on a few western-exposed areas of the Antarctic Peninsula, and is more commonly found on South Orkney and South Shetland islands.

On Antarctica, the plant seeks sun, and finds enough nutrients and moisture in the thawed, shallow soil to survive.
Because it is found in so few places, all of which are similar, it's adaptive strengths have not been documented.

Answer 4

Antarctic hair grass grows mainly on the coast of the north-western Antarctic Peninsula. However, warming temperatures are allowing the grass to grow in other coastal areas of the continent.

Answer 5

It's presence is limited to the western Antarctic Peninsula, and to the two percent of the continent that is not covered with ice.