Early Holocene sediments from a continental Antartic lake (Ace Lake, Vestfold Hills, East Antartica) contained abundant fossil rotifers of the genus Notholca. The fossil is similar to specimens of Notholca sp. present in modern-day Ace Lake and other fresh and brackish lakes of the Vestfold Hills. Cyanobacteria and protists (chrysophyte cysts, dinoflagellate cysts, and rhizopod tests) were also recovered from the core samples. These sediments were deposited early in the freshwater phase of Ace Lake, soon after deglaciation of the area. The occurence of this trophically diverse assemblage of organisms at an early in the evolution of the lake suggests either that they were part of an endemic Antarctic flora and fauna which pre-dated the last glacial maximum and survived in glacial refugia or that effecient intercontinental dispersal had occurred. © 2001 University of Washington.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Ecology
Research Field:	Palaeoecology
Objective Division:	Environment
Objective Group:	Other Environment
Objective Field:	Environment not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Swadling, KM (Dr Kerrie Swadling)
ID Code:	21919
Year Published:	2001
Web of Science® Times Cited:	14
Deposited By:	Zoology
Deposited On:	2001-08-01
Last Modified:	2011-08-02
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