The angiosperm-dominated woody vegetation of Antarctica: a review

Antarctic vegetation is today mostly restricted to non-vascular plants, with a few small angiosperms clinging to the Antarctic Peninsula. However, probably as recently as the mid-late Pliocene woody angiosperms were present in inland Antarctica, suggesting an overall presence of complex and diverse vegetation. Angiosperms were introduced into Antarctica during the Cretaceous from South America and possibly also Southeast Asia via Australia. These angiosperms speciated rapidly at the prevailing high latitudes and were an important source for the developing angiosperm-dominated vegetation of the Southern Hemisphere. The migration and evolution of early angiosperms in Gondwana was probably facilitated by a high level of disturbance caused primarily by the rifting of the supercontinent. This high-latitude region was an important source of evolutionary novelty during the Late Cretaceous-Paleogene. As the climate deteriorated during the Cenozoic, the angiosperm Bora was reduced in biomass and diversity, finally being restricted to the current remnants. The timing and nature of this major regional extinction is still poorly understood.