Open AccessAntarctic bryophyte research—current state and future directions
Author(s) -
Paulo Eduardo Aguiar Saraiva Câmara,
Micheline CarvalhoSilva,
Michael Stech
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
bryophyte diversity and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2381-9685
pISSN - 2381-9677
DOI - 10.11646/bde.43.1.16
Subject(s) - bryophyte , moss , geography , current (fluid) , ecology , biology , oceanography , botany , geology
Botany is one of the oldest sciences done south of parallel 60 °S, although few professional botanists have dedicated themselves to investigating the Antarctic bryoflora. After the publications of liverwort and moss floras in 2000 and 2008, respectively, new species were described. Currently, the Antarctic bryoflora comprises 28 liverwort and 116 moss species. Furthermore, Antarctic bryology has entered a new phase characterized by the use of molecular tools, in particular DNA sequencing. Although the molecular studies of Antarctic bryophytes have focused exclusively on mosses, molecular data (fingerprinting data and/or DNA sequences) have already been published for 36 % of the Antarctic moss species. In this paper we review the current state of Antarctic bryological research, focusing on molecular studies and conservation, and discuss future questions of Antarctic bryology in the light of global challenges.