Multi-scale patterns of moss and lichen richness on the Antarctic Peninsula

摘要: Mosses and lichens are the dominant macrophytes of Antarctic terrestrial ecosystem. Using occurrence data from existing databases additional published records, we analyzed patterns moss lichen species diversity on Peninsula at both a regional scale (1°latitudinal bands) local (52 56 individual snow- ice-free coastal areas for mosses lichens, respectively) to test hypothesized relationships between environmental factors, identify locations whose may be particularly poorly represented by collections online databases. We found significant heterogeneity in sampling frequency, number records collected, among analysis units two spatial scales, estimated richness using projected accumulation curves account potential biases stemming sample heterogeneity. Our estimates entire region were within 20% total known species. Area, latitude, isolation, mean summer temperature, penguin colony size considered as covariates richness. Moss was correlated with isolation latitude scale, while temperature and, 17 sites where penguins present <20 000 breeding pairs, size. At latitude. Lichen richness, contrast, not significantly any variables scale. With exception which explained 91% variation diversity, variance very low. results show that biodiversity highly scale-dependent largely unexplained biogeographic important other systems.