Auster Rookery, Antarctica Photograph by K. Sheridan   Antarctica: East of the Transantarctic Mountains Tundra   816,800 square miles (2,115,500 square kilometers) -- about ten times the size of Kansas Relatively Stable/Intact

· On the Rocks
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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On the Rocks

It may seem impossible for life to thrive in one of the coldest, most remote places on Earth. But, amazingly, life in the Maudlandia Antarctic Tundra is everywhere: Lichens and moss cushions grow on rocks and unstable soil; a pinch of soil can contain up to 10 million microorganisms such as bacteria, nematodes, and algae; and a variety of lichens, algae, fungi, and bacteria can even be found living inside certain rocks.

Special Features

The Maudlandia Antarctic Tundra ecoregion is made up of the parts of eastern Antarctica that are not covered in ice. Cold and windy even during the summer, this ecoregion has no trees or shrubs. Animals such as seals and penguins and other sea birds can all be found along the coast, where they get their meals from the sea.

	Lichens have their own built-in sunscreen. Concentrations of chemicals and other pigments within lichens vary with levels of ultraviolet radiation (radiation from the sun that causes sunburn and other problems in people), providing protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

Wild Side

On a typical day, the icy waters surrounding the Maudlandia Antarctic Tundra buzz with activity. Penguins waddle across the ice and dive below the water. Colonies of Ross, Weddell, and southern elephant seals lounge in the sun before dipping back in the water for a meal. And the skies are full of an array of sea birds such as Antarctic petrels, Wilson’s storm petrels, south polar skuas, and southern fulmars. The southern giant fulmar’s wings span more than six feet (almost 2 m) as the bird glides over the water searching for fish.

Cause for Concern

Although it is remote, the Maudlandia Antarctic Tundra faces many threats from humans. Global climate change could upset the balance of life in the ecoregion by melting ice, raising temperatures, and upsetting the food chain. Ozone depletion threatens to leave the Antarctic open to dangerous amounts of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. And pollution both from scientific expeditions and a growing tourism industry could also become threats if not well managed.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.