Pottia Heimii

http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/ Research Commons at the University of Waikato Copyright Statement: The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). The thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person. Authors control the copyright of their thesis. You will recognise the author’s right to be identified as the author of the thesis, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate. You will obtain the author’s permission before publishing any material from the thesis. Terrestrial Biologicai Studies In Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. A Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Science in Biological Sciences at The University ofWaikato by ANNE-MAREE J. SCHWARZ University ofWaikato 1990 11 Dedication For Mike and Jan who have always provided stimulus and encouragement for my ideas. iii Abstract The biota, comprising the bryophyte flushes on continental Antarctica, are specialized organisms adapted to the rigorous conditions imposed on them by the environment. Ice free areas of continental Antarctica provide the few habitats suitable for colonization by plants and invertebrates. The presence of free water and certain climatic conditions are essential features. This report investigates bryophyte flushes in two ice free areas in Southern Victoria Land. The first is within the Lake Fryxell Site of Special Scientific Interest No.12 adjacent to the Canada Glacier in the Taylor Valley, one of the so called Dry Valleys. The second is at Granite Harbour approximately sixty kilometres north of the Taylor Valley site. The purpose of this investigation was to ascertain plant and invertebrate species present at these sites and to obtain some measure of their distribution and abundance. Climatic data are presented for the period of the study. At the Canada Glacier site, plant associations were mapped in detail and biomass and nutrient values were calculated. Numerous counts of invertebrates were recorded from cores of plant material. On the main flush, sites which had been damaged by sampling in the past were located. These were mapped, and described, envisaging that these will be important reference sites to monitor the ability of these flushes to recover from physical damage. At Granite Harbour a qualitative investigation of plants iv and invertebrates was carried out. Comprehensive plant species lists have been compiled from the Canada Glacier and Granite Harbour areas. The different prevailing conditions for plant growth at the two sites are emphasised by the differences in numbers of species found. Biomass figures from the Taylor Valley compare favourably with figures presented for lower latitudes of the Antarctic region. The plant species list from Granite Harbour is exceptional in its extent for a site of this latitude. Invertebrate groups have been recorded for both sites. Counts of individuals from the Taylor Valley provide estimates of abundance which compare in number to estimates from maritime Antarctic locations. It is concluded that the bryophyte flushes at the Lake Fryxell 8ite of 8pecial Scientific Interest (8.8.8.1) are areas of relatively high biomass, with community patteming closely linked to the water regime of the area. They are likely to have a low annual net production and a low capacity for recolonization. This is the largest area of bryophyte growth reported for the Dry Valley region and as such should play an important role in consideration of future impacts and studies in the area. This summary of biota, present at the Canada Glacier bryophyte flushes stands as the only collective record of these parameters to date for this area. The production of these data is the first necessary step to enable further monitoring and conservation to be carried out. v Acknowledgements Thanks are due to WaikatoUniversity and Antarctic Division D.S.I.R. for making this opportunity available to me. VXE 6 squadron, U.S. Navy provided field transport in Antarctica. Taupo Research Lab. D.S.I.R. Marine and Freshwater Division, Taupo allowed me time and facilities to complete my writing up. Thanks to my supervisor Dr. Allan Green for involving me in this work, for the benefit of his experience in the area and for the many helpful discussions since. For his advice and company in the field, and for the provision of specialized knowledge of Antarctic bryophytes, I thank Dr. Rod Seppelt, Australian Antarctic Research. Drs Clive Howard-Williams and Warwick Vincent lent their experience to ideas in the early stages and commented on earlier versions of the manuscript. Dr. John Green helped with ideas on microscopy techniques. Jan Simmiss enlightened me as to some of the mysteries of Word Perfect' and Debbie Care and Mike Schwarz did essential proofreading. Lastly but by no means least, thanks to my family and good friends for their encouragement and their interest all the way and for their tolerance in the later stages. vi Contents Abstract III... Acknowledgements v Contents VI. List of Tables IX• List of Figures X List of Photographs XlV. Chapter I: Introduction and Objectives 1:1 Introduction 1 1:11 Antarctic Terrestrial Flora 5 I:III Antarctic Terrestrial Fauna 7 I:IV Coastal Oases 9 I:V Sites of Special Scientific Interest 10 I:VI Objectives of the Study 14 Chapter 11: Study sites, Materials and Methods 11:1 Taylor Valley : Site Description and Climate 16 11:11 Granite Harbour : Site description and climate 28 11:111 Methods II:III:I Microc1imate on the Canada Glacier Bryophyte Flush 33 :11 Frozen Ground 35 :111 Plant Taxonomy 35 :IV Vegetation of the Lower flush (Initial mapping) 35 :V Verification of cover estimates 36 :VI Nutrients 37 :VII Biomass 38 :VITI Vegetation of the Upper flush 38 :IX. Epilithic lichen mapping 38 :X Recovery 89 :XI Invertebrates 40 :XII Granite Harbour 42 vu Chapter Ill: Climate and Microclimate: Lake Fryxell area ' Ill:I Introduction 43 Ill:11 Results 43 Ill:II:I Climate 43 :11 Frozen Ground 52 Chapter IV: Vegetation: Lake Fryxell S.S.S.!. / Canada Glacier IV: I Introduction 54 IV: 11 Results 54 IV:Il:I Plant Species 54 :Il Initial Mapping 58 :III Verification with Quadrats 64 :IV Transects 67 :V Biomass and Nutrients 69 :VI Sporophytes 71 :VII Vegetation of the Upper Flush 71 :VIII Lichens 75 Chapter V: Recovery from Damage V:I Introduction 78 V:II Results 79 V:II:I Paths and Footprints 79 :Il Core and Section Removal Sites 81 Chapter VI: Invertebrates Lake Fryxell S.S.S.!. / Canada Glacier VI:I Introduction 90 VI:I:I Experiments 91 VI:II Results 94 VUl Chapter VII: Granite Harbour VII:I Introduction 106 VII:II Results 107 VII:II:I Vegetation 107 :11 Invertebrates 112 Chapter VIII: Discussion VIII:I Flora and·Biomass 114 :11 Nutrient composition 117 :111 Recovery from Damage 122 :N Invertebrates 125 :V Conclusions 131 Appendix A: Extreme southern locations for moss sporophytes in Antarctica. 133 Bibliography 142 ix List of Tables Table 4.1 Chi squared values, showing positive and negative relationships between plant species on five transects. 6,1 6.1 Invertebrate species list, Canada Glacier. 98 6.2 Outcomes of the Friedman test on invertebrate counts,(multiple comparisons). 100 6.3 Abundances of rotifers, nematodes and tardigrades a) Pre-melt (14-16 November 1989) and b) Post-melt (8-10 December 1989). 103 6.4 Mean depths within a moss core at which invertebrates were found. 104 6.5 Percent contribution of invertebrate groups at three different depths. 105 7.1 Plant species list: Granite Harbour. 109 7.2 Invertabrate list: Granite Harbour. 113 8.1 Selected environmental features of four south Victoria Land streams (Howard-Williams and Vincent 1989). 120 8.2 Published records of invertebrate abundance. 128 x List of Figures 1.1 Map of the Antarctic continent with coastal oases highlighted. 3 1.2 McMurdo Sound region of Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, showing both the Taylor Valley and Granite Harbour. 12 1.3 S.S.S.1. No. 12 showing the location of study sites in relation to the Canada Glacier. 13 2.1 Expanded view of upper and lower flushes. The outlines are determined by the limits of visible plant growth. 18 2.2 Daily maximum temperatures at four levels at Cape Hallet, from Greene et al. (1967). 22 2.3 Daily average temperatures at Lake Hoare from December 1988 to December 1989 (McKay, unpublished data). 24 2.4 Daily average relative humidity at Lake Hoare from December 1988 to December 1989 (McKay, unpublished data). 25 2.5 Daily solar flux at Lake Hoare from December 1988 to December 1989 (McKay, unpublished data). 26 xi 2.6 Discharge of the Onyx River A) 1977/78 (Chinn 1983). B) 1979/80 (Cbinn and Cumming 1983). 27 2.7 Map showing location of Cape Geology and Botany Bay at Granite Harbour. 29 2.8 Lower flush map showing sites for nutrient and biomass samples, transects for measurement of frozen ground and sites for measurement of moss temperature. 34 2.9 Invertebrate counts over time following wetting of a freeze dried moss core. 41 3.1 Air Temperature at 4cm above the moss on the lower flush. 44 3.2 Temperature fluctuation within the moss and at the moss surface over 4 diel periods. 46 3.3 Relative humidity at moss level on the lower flush. 47 3.4 P .A.R. over two different diel periods at moss level on the lower flush.

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