Antarctic Floristic Kingdom facts for kids
The Antarctic Floristic Kingdom is a special way to group plants that live in the southern parts of the world. It covers most places south of 40 degrees South latitude. Think of it as a huge plant "neighborhood" defined by where certain types of plants naturally grow.
Scientists Ronald Good and Armen Takhtajan were key in figuring out this plant kingdom. It's different from other ways of grouping animals or plants, focusing only on plant geography.
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Where is the Antarctic Plant Kingdom?
This plant kingdom stretches across many southern lands. It includes the icy continent of Antarctica itself. It also covers Patagonia, which is the southern part of Chile and Argentina, including Tierra del Fuego.
Most of New Zealand is part of this kingdom, along with its nearby New Zealand Subantarctic Islands. Many islands in the Southern Ocean south of 40°S latitude are also included. These islands are places like Gough Island, the Kerguelen Islands, and the Falkland Islands.
Interestingly, Tasmania is not part of this kingdom. Its plants are more like those found in the Australian Floristic Kingdom.
Plants of the Antarctic Kingdom
The plants in the Antarctic Kingdom have a long history. Many of them date back to a time when the southern continents were joined together as one giant landmass called Gondwana. Even though these lands are now far apart, many plant species are still very similar. This shows they share a common ancestor from Gondwana.
Ronald Good noticed that about 50 types of vascular plants (plants with tubes to carry water and nutrients) are common here. These include trees like Nothofagus (southern beech) and ferns like Dicksonia.
Armen Takhtajan also pointed out hundreds of other unique plant types. These are found on the scattered islands of the Southern Ocean. Some examples are Calandrinia feltonii from the Falkland Islands and Pringlea antiscorbutica from the Kerguelen Islands. The New Zealand Subantarctic Islands are home to very large herbs called megaherbs.
Some plant families are found only or mostly in this kingdom. These include Thyrsopteridaceae, Lactoridaceae, Gomortegaceae, and Malesherbiaceae.
Regions of the Antarctic Plant Kingdom
The Antarctic Floristic Kingdom is divided into four main plant regions. These regions are then split into even smaller areas called provinces. Most of these provinces are found near the Antarctic convergence zone, where cold and warm ocean waters meet.
Fernandezian Region
This region includes the Juan Fernández Islands and Desventuradas Islands. These island groups are off the west coast of Chile. Sometimes, this region is also grouped with the Neotropical Kingdom.
- A plant family found only here is Lactoridaceae.
- Many plant types (genera) are unique to these islands. About 70% of all vascular plant species here are found nowhere else in the world.
- It has one province: Juan Fernández Province.
Argentina-Chile-Patagonian Region
This region is located in southern South America, covering parts of Chile and Argentina.
- Several plant families are unique to this area. These include Gomortegaceae, Halophytaceae, and Malesherbiaceae.
- Many plant types (genera) are found only here. Examples include Fitzroya (a type of cypress tree) and Lapageria (Chile's national flower).
- This region has many unique species.
- It includes provinces like the Northern Chilean Province, Patagonian Province, and Tierra del Fuego Province.
Neozeylandic Region
This region covers the larger New Zealand islands, including the North Island and South Island. It also includes New Zealand's outlying islands and the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands.
- The only plant family found only in New Zealand is Ixerbaceae. It has just one species, Ixerba brexioides.
- About 50 plant types (genera) are unique to this region. These include Hectorella, Entelea, and Phormium (New Zealand flax).
- Many species are unique here, especially among conifer trees.
- Provinces include the Lord Howe Province, Norfolkian Province, and several New Zealand provinces.
South Subantarctic Islands Region
This region includes the islands that are part of the South Subantarctic Islands.
- Unique species found here include Lyallia kerguelensis and Pringlea antiscorbutica.
- It has provinces like the Tristan—Gough Province and the Kerguelen Province.
See also
In Spanish: Flora antártica para niños
