The frozen continent of Antartica is home to an astonishing and poorly documented biodiversity. A new study determined the species identity of a moss occurring in the deep-water of the Lake Vanda located at the Victoria Land, Antartica employing genetic and morphological evidence including the ex-situ cultivation (see Rankin et al. 2017 Polar Biology https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-017-2127-y). The research team comprised experts at the Natural History Museum, London (UK), the University of Canterbury (New Zealand), University of California at Davis (USA), Institute of Technology (USA), and Xishuangbanna (Harald Schneider, Macroevolution & Conservation Group, CIC). The research highlighted the importance to study and conserve the unique biodiversity of freshwater systems occurring at the frozen continent of Antarctica.

Lake Vanda

The detailed figures of the Lake Vanda moss