Marine macroalgae of the Balleny Islands and Ross Sea

Abstract

The macroalgae of the Balleny Islands (66°15′S–67°35′S and 162°30′E–165°00′E) have been infrequently collected and the flora remains poorly known. This chain of islands is located on the edge of the Antarctic Circle in the northern Ross Sea, ~250 km north of the coast of northern Victoria Land, and it represents the most northerly land in the Ross Sea region. As well as being very remote, access to these islands is difficult given the highly variable prevailing ice conditions. We summarize the macroalgal floras of the Balleny Islands and the Ross Sea, including reporting new records, extending the known distribution of other taxa and highlighting the need for further taxonomic research on some of the most common and widespread species. Many of the taxa reported have been collected on few occasions and, as a consequence, there is insufficient material available, including reproductively mature samples, for some species to be fully documented. While these collections are providing intriguing insights into the relationships between the macroalgae found around the Antarctic continent, the full biodiversity of the Balleny Islands remains to be investigated, and further collections are required to enable detailed comparisons with other parts of the Antarctic region.

Hidden diversity in high‐latitude Southern Hemisphere environments: Reinstatement of the genus Rama and description of Vandenhoekia gen. nov. (Cladophoraceae, Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta), two highly variable genera

“…While there are endemic seaweed species in these locations, they also share cold‐temperate species with southern South America, the southern tip of South Africa, New Zealand, and the islands of the South Atlantic (Adams, 1994). Although some progress has been made in recent years (e.g., Boedeker et al, 2010; Broom et al, 2010; Hommersand, 2007; Nelson et al, 2022; Nelson & Broom, 2010; Oliveira et al, 2020; Pellizzari et al, 2020; Sanches et al, 2016), the algal assemblages of these regions remain understudied, and novel collections and taxonomic treatments would be very useful for appreciating their diversity and evolutionary relationships.…”