There are only two flowering plants native to Antarctica and both have seen an explosion in their numbers in the decade from 2009 to 2019, suggesting we may be reaching a climate tipping point
at the Scottish Association for Marine Science in Oban, UK, agrees that “accelerated expansion is now clearly evident in the region”.
“This research gives us the first comprehensive data set showing how fast and how dense the plant community may expand,” he says.Though other factors may have positively affected plant growth, such as a declining fur seal population, the link with a warming climate is clear, says Cannone. The increase in temperature could also allow invasive species to colonise and outgrow the native plants, an effect that has already“If we extrapolate what we observed on Signy Island to other sites in Antarctica, a similar process can also occur,” says Cannone. “This means that the Antarctic landscape and biodiversity could change rapidly.”