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Formal recognition of extinct Antarctic polar forests as a distinct biome

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2022

Michael Macphail Open the ORCID record for Michael Macphail [Opens in a new window] ,
Raymond Carpenter Open the ORCID record for Raymond Carpenter [Opens in a new window]  and
Robert Hill Open the ORCID record for Robert Hill [Opens in a new window]
Michael Macphail*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology and Natural History, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Raymond Carpenter
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
Robert Hill
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
*
mike.macphail@anu.edu.au
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Abstract

We conclude that the extinct polar forests of Antarctica deserve recognition as a distinct biome - the ‘Austral Polar Forest Biome’ - rather than being regarded as analogous to modern rainforest.

Keywords

AntarcticaAustral Polar Forest Biomeconifer-Nothofagus-dominated vegetationMesozoic–early Cenozoicpolar foreststemperate rainforest
Type
Opinion
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 34 , Issue 4 , August 2022 , pp. 343 - 347
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antarctic Science Ltd.

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