OHSERVATIONS ON THE VEGETATION OF THE ANTARCTIC SEA 255 



The s u b 1 i 1 1 r a 1 region. 



The iipi)cr part of this rci;i<jn proves the pernicious intluence of 

 the sea-ice, only sheltered places beino overi^rovvn with ali^Jt. St. 85 

 may serve as an ilhistration. Down to the hi^^li water mark the beach 

 was cox'ered b}' a hard wall of snow. Close to this the bottom con- 

 sisted of pebbles; the depth at low water was 0,5 to 1 ni. A strip oi" 

 this bottom was sheltered b\- a ran^e of rocks, in there turn shelteretl 

 b\' oullyin«^, submerged rocks. On these a range of icebergs had 

 stranded. There was no vegetation at the margin of the snow-wall, 

 but farther out 1 found a luxuriating flora in I — 2 m., consisting of two 

 associations, one (i{ liiitcromorpka sp. and nnc oi Gnicilaria [I.cptosarca) 

 siDiplcx. Besides tliese grew a large Iridwa, whether the same as men- 

 tioned before, I cannot tell. The interior range of rocks was partly 

 dr\' at low title with shallow waterpools all o\'er : here the Lilhoplivllinii- 

 formation predominated with the common lridiea-'&\)Q.c\Q.%. Associations of 

 Adciiocystis Lcssojiii were noted and scarce, tin}^ specimens of Dcsma- 

 restia Hannyana. On the slopes of the rocks and between them ex- 

 tended the characteristic sublittoral formation, which 1 will call the 

 n c s 1)1 a re st i a -for III a t i oil after the ever present Dcsiiiarcstias. It 

 ought to be ([uite as distinctive for the Antarctic as the Lamiiiaria- 

 formation is for the Arctic. It is developed on rocky and stony bot- 

 toms e\er\'where I ha\'e dredged, though changing a little in its more 

 detailed composition. Xot even this vegetation, which li\es at a con- 

 siderable depth, is safe from the ice and it proves to be of great im- 

 l^ortance that it should get some shelter. Therefore one finds it most 

 fully developed on the zones between the rocks, on the shelves and 

 steep slopes, or, on bottoms consisting of huge blocks, between the 

 l)locks and on their sides, while the upper surface is quite bare. St. 80 

 gave a gootl illustration of the distribution of vegetation. Down to 4 

 — 5 m. the gravel was cjuite barren and probably this zone would have 

 .stretched further down, if we had had the same even bottom. But 

 now we met a zone of great blocks with stones and gravel between 

 them. In the crevices thus formed the Dcsiiiarcstia'iowww'ixow luxuriatetl 

 at a depth of 5 — 25 m. and very likeh- at greater depths. St. 81 A, 

 2 — 5 m., rocky and stony bottom, 81 B, 30 m., stones, 82, 40 m. and 

 stones, 83 C, rocks 25 — 30 m., 84, rocks and stones, 10 — 20 m., 86, 

 stones in 8 m., 88, rocks and stones, 40 m., 90 with ston\- bottom, 30 

 ■ — 40 m., 91, 25 m., stones and gra\el, 92, rocky bottom, 30 m , all 

 show the same main character. 



