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observations (In the vegetation ol- tUe Vntarctic sea 255
T lie sublittoral region.
The upper part of this region proves the pernicious influence of
the sea-ice, only sheltered places being overgrown with algae. St. 85
may serve as an illustration. Down to the high water mark the beach
was covered by a hard wall of snow. Close to this the bottom
consisted of pebbles; the depth at low water was 0,5 to 1 m. A strip of
this bottom was sheltered by a range of rocks, in there turn sheltered
by outlying, submerged rocks. On these a range of icebergs had
stranded. There was 110 vegetation at the margin of the snow-wall,
but farther out 1 found a luxuriating flora in 1—2 m., consisting of two
associations, one of Enteromorpha sp. and one of Gracilaria (Lcptosarca)
simplex. Besides these grew a large Irichea, whether the same as
mentioned before, I cannot tell. The interior range of rocks was partly
dry at low tide with shallow waterpools all over: here the
Lithophyllum-formation predominated with the common Iridæa-species. Associations of
Adenocystis Lcssonii were noted and scarce, tiny specimens of
Desma-restia Hurveyana. On the slopes of the rocks and between them
extended the characteristic sublittoral formation, which I will call the
D c smare stia-f or mation after the ever present Desmarestias. It
ought to be quite as distinctive for the Antarctic as the
Laminaria-formation is for the Arctic. It is developed on rocky and stony
bottoms everywhere I have dredged, though changing a little in its more
detailed composition. Not even this vegetation, which lives at a
considerable depth, is safe from the ice and it proves to be of great
importance 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
blocks and on their sides, while the upper surface is quite bare. St. 80
gave a good illustration of the distribution of vegetation. Down to 4
—5 m. the gravel was quite 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 Desmarestia-termaXion luxuriated
at a depth of 5—25 m. and very likely 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 stony bottom, 30
—40 m., 91, 25 m., stones and gravel, 92, rocky bottom, 30 111, all
show the same main character.
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