The role of Antarctica in Southern Hemisphere floristic history
The history of vegetation in Antarctica is intimately linked to two interrelated processes; the break up of Gondwana and the evolution of the Earth´s climate. For the past 250 million years Antarctic has lain within the polar regions yet evidence of forest ecosystems abound. Permian glossopterid forests grew within a few degrees of the south pole. The break up Gondwana and the progressive isolation of Antarctica played an important role in the development of present day plant distributions. These project examine the development and history of the Antarctic vegetation within this context.
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