Penguins and Whales are not the only creatures found in Antarctica as more creatures are getting entry into the list. In an interview with lead author Dr. David Barnes, a marine biologist at British Antarctic Survey, raise a question after the discovery of marine life in Antarctica:

This discovery of so much life living in these extreme conditions is a complete surprise and reminds us how Antarctic marine life is so unique and special. The big question is how do these animals survive and flourish here?

A team of researchers has recently discovered that there is an existence of life even beneath the ice shelves of the Antarctic, which is beyond our imagination. In this dark and cold habitat, marine life has been reported, but among the huge number of creatures, very few have been collected (David K.A. Barnes, 2021). A team of scientists from Alfred Wegner Institute, Helmholtz center for marine research has discovered life beneath the ice shelves by creating holes using hot water.

“Despite living 3-9 km from the nearest open water, an oasis of life may have existed continuously for nearly 6000 years under the ice shelf. Only samples from the seafloor beneath the floating ice shelf will tell us stories from its past history.”, explained by the coauthor, Gerhard Kuhn.

The collected and fragmented life which was collected from there was completely extraordinary and different from any other existing life in the world (Science Daily, 2021).

It has been found that the biodiversity of the collected species was richer than any other terrestrial diversities, with a sufficient amount of light and food sources. The team discovered more than 77 species from that region, starting from moss animals to serpulid worms. This discovery is very much shocking and has proved that the life and diversity of the Antarctic are very much special and unique (Science Daily, 2021).

The most surprising fact about this discovery is that the researchers have discovered that these animals feed on microalgae, though the survival of any kind of plants and algae is impossible in this cold and dark region. It raises a big question here. The researchers have concluded that the algae may be developed from the open water under the shelves of ice, which has created a small food web there (David K.A. Barnes, 2021). It has been discovered that the annual growth of some animals found here is similar to the growth of other animals in open Antarctic habitats.

References

David K.A. Barnes, G. K.-D. (2021). Richness, growth, and persistence of life under an Antarctic ice shelf. Current Biology, 2021; 31 (24): R1566. Retrieved from DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.015

Science Daily. (2021, December 20). Abundance of life discovered beneath an Antarctic ice shelf. Retrieved from Science news: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211220120032.htm