An illustrated and annotated checklist of freshwater diatoms (Bacillariophyta) from Livingston, Signy and Beak Island (Maritime Antarctic Region)

Abstract

Background and aims: Non-marine diatom communities in the Antarctic Region are characterized by a typical species composition, dominated by a large number of Antarctic endemic species. Despite recent advances in our knowledge about the diversity and biogeography of non-marine Antarctic diatoms, the flora of many Antarctic localities is still only poorly known, which can result in incorrect conceptions of species' distributions. The present paper provides a taxonomically consistent illustrated checklist of the diatom flora observed in recent and (sub)fossil non-marine sediments of three islands in the proximity of the northern Antarctic Peninsula, namely; Signy Island (South Orkneys), Livingston Island (South Shetlands) and Beak Island (James Ross Island group). Methods: The diatom flora of 66 samples collected from a wide variety of lakes and localities on the three above-mentioned islands has been studied using light and scanning electron microscopy. The biogeographical distribution of the composing taxa has been assessed on the basis of quality-checked distribution data from the recent literature. Key results - One hundred and two diatom taxa, belonging to thirty-four genera, were observed. Pinnularia (twelve taxa), Chamaepinnularia, Luticola, Planothidium, Psammothidium and Stauroneis (seven taxa each), Nitzschia (six taxa), Humidophila and Navicula (five taxa each) proved to be the most species-rich genera. Original morphometric data (including length, width and stria density) and illustrations are presented for all taxa observed. Forty-one species are hitherto only known from the Antarctic region. The exact taxonomic identity of twenty species remains uncertain and requires further study. It is suspected that many of these will also turn out to be restricted to the Antarctic region, suggesting that about half of all taxa observed are probably endemic to the Antarctic. Conclusions: The diatom flora of the three investigated localities comprises a large proportion of typical Antarctic taxa, many of which have only recently been split off from their presumably cosmopolitan relatives

Photosynthetic, Respirational, and Growth Responses of Six Benthic Diatoms from the Antarctic Peninsula as Functions of Salinity and Temperature Variations

“…APC14 D296_001 was identified as Chamaepinnularia gerlachei Van de Vijver and Sterken ( Figure 2 L–T; valves of strain D294_006 are depicted as well, since this strain was used as a supplement for identification). This species was first published in the work of Van de Vijver et al [ 56 ], from dry soil samples collected at James Ross Island, near the northeastern extremity of the Antarctic Peninsula, and has been observed only in maritime Antarctica thus far [ 57 , 58 , 59 ].…”

Taxonomic revision of Chamaepinnularia krookiformis Lange-Bertalot et Krammer with a description of Chamaepinnularia plinskii sp. nov.

“…Several species are typical of aerial habitats. Species occurring in antarctic regions are also known (Van de VijVer et al 2010;sterken et al 2015). Some species were observed in the Sphagnum peat bogs (kulikoVskiy et al 2010).…”

Holocene deglaciation and glacier readvances on the Fildes Peninsula and King George Island (Isla 25 de Mayo), South Shetland Islands, NW Antarctic Peninsula

“…a BP) and related to XRF-CS data using. Species identifications and ecological preferences followed Jones and Juggins (1995), Jones et al (2000), Watcham et al (2011), Sterken et al (2012, 2015) (Figure 4 and Supplemental Figure S9, available online) and are similar to Kopalová et al (2011), Kopalová and van de Vijver (2013) and Bulínová et al (2020)…”