Title: Mosses and liverworts — Australian Antarctic Program
Headings: Mosses and liverworts
Mosses and liverworts
Life Cycle
Adaptions
Climate change and pollution
Photo gallery

Content: Photo: James Lowe
Bryophytes can be found in almost all areas that are capable of supporting plant life in the Antarctic. Moss lawns often occur on meltwater flushes from ponds (such as at Casey station), or from glaciers (such as the Canada Glacier in Southern Victoria Land). Mosses have been collected from as far south as 84°30’ ( Ceratodon purpureus at Mt. Kyffin, Southern Victoria Land). Life Cycle
The dominant stage in the life cycle of bryophytes is the sexually reproducing gametophyte plant stage. But because of the extreme environmental conditions under which these plants exist, most reproduction occurs asexually. The plants can reproduce from a deciduous shoot apex or other specialised asexual reproductive structures, called gemmae. Sexual reproductive structures may be present on the gametophyte, but male and female organs are rarely found on the same plant. In many cases the sporophyte stage, produced after sexual reproduction, is completely absent amongst Antarctic bryophytes. This is more often true for the bryophytes of the Continental Antarctic, where only about 25% of moss species produce a sporophyte stage.