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Poa annua L. in the maritime Antarctic: an overview

Chwedorzewska, Katarzyna J. and Giełwanowska, Irena and Olech, Maria and Molina-Montenegro, Marco A. and Wódkiewicz, Maciej and Galera, Halina (2015) Poa annua L. in the maritime Antarctic: an overview. Polar Record, 51 . pp. 637-643. ISSN 0032-2474

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Abstract

ABSTRACT. Poa annua is the only flowering plant species that has established a breeding population in the maritime Antarctic, through repeated anthropogenic introduction. The first appearance of this species in the Antarctic was observed in 1953. Annual bluegrass inhabits mainly anthropogenic sites, but recently has entered tundra communities. The functioning of P. annua in the Antarctic could not have been possible without adaptations that enable the plants to persist in the specific climatic conditions typical for this zone. Poa annua is highly adaptable to environmental stress and unstable habitats: huge phenotypic and genotypic variability, small size, plastic life cycle (life-history types ranging from annual to perennial forms). The spreading of P. annua in the Antarctic Peninsula region is a classic example of the expansion process following anthropogenic introduction of an invasive species, and illustrates the dangers to Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems that are associated with increasing human traffic.

Item Type:Article
Subjects:Q Science > QK Botany
Divisions:Department of Antarctic Biology
ID Code:1053
Deposited By: dr K.J. Chwedorzewska
Deposited On:04 Dec 2015 13:04
Last Modified:08 Mar 2018 15:33

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