Squiggly Schistidium
(Up Close)

The only endemic Antarctic moss species, the identification of Schistidium antarctici in the Windmill Islands moss beds of East Antarctica has helped inform scientists of the changing distribution in vegetation. Considering the extreme climatic conditions of the Antarctic, the three mosses found in this area experience extreme conditions and are often hard to tell apart, even under a microscope. The squiggly, waisted cells from a Schistidium antarctici leaf that can be seen in this photograph are a dead giveaway, though dead this threatened moss soon could be as global climatic changes render the Antarctic environment harsher than ever.