CHAPTER XII 



ORGANIC LIFE 



LICHENS 



Several varieties of lichen were found coating lumps of kenyte at Cape Royds, 

 and were observed extending over a height of at least 1000 feet above sea-level up 

 the flanks of Mount Erebus. 



This plant on the whole appears to have a conserving influence on the rocks 

 which it incrusts, but the branching lichen, resembling Usnea, commonly called by 

 members of the expedition the forest lichen, because of its relatively large size 

 and branching habit, tends to break up the blocks of kenyte on which it grows, 

 and does this in a very efficient manner. 



Mosses were represented by four species belonging to three genera, viz. Di- 

 cranella Hooheri, Sarconeurum Glaciate, Bryum Argenteum, and Bryum Antarc- 

 ticuni* 



These mosses were found growing in crevasses amongst the kenyte or granite 

 rocks, or forming tiny tufts in sheltered spots where there was a little sand 

 moistened by thaw- water. These were too insignificant to play any role of import- 

 ance, as far as we were able to observe, in either conserving or destroying rocks, 

 or contributing to form organic deposits. A short preliminary description of these 

 lichens and mosses is given by our colleague, Murray (oj). cit., Part I., pp. 4-5). 

 He also describes in the same work (pages 5 to 6) what was, from the geological 

 point of view, by far the most important plant at present flourishing in the 

 Antarctic. It is a fresh-water weed, probably an alga. This was of a pink to 

 brown colour, from warm sepia-brown to nearly vermilion ,-f- and presented a most 

 remarkable appearance. It flourished in enormous quantities in the lakes of Cape 

 Royds and Cape Barne. One of the smaller lakes at the latter locality, between 

 Deep Lake and Terrace Lake, looked like a miniature Red Sea, so thickly were its 

 frozen waters interspersed with large specimens of this red plant. As described 

 in the section relating to peat, these organisms on dying contribute a considerable 



* British Antarctic Expedition, 1907-9. Keport on the Scientific Investigations, voL i., Biology, 

 part 4. Musci by Jules Cardot, pp. 77-79. 



t This red colour may have been due to the enormous numbers of red-coloured rotifers adhering to 

 the plant. 



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