Terrestrial biota in the Antarctic are more globally distinct and highly structured biogeographically than previously believed, but information on biogeographic patterns and endemism in freshwater communities is largely lacking. We studied biogeographic patterns of Antarctic freshwater diatoms based on the analysis of species occurrences in a dataset of 439 lakes spread across the Antarctic realm. Highly distinct diatom floras, both in terms of composition and richness, characterize Continental Antarctica, Maritime Antarctica and the sub‐Antarctic islands, with marked biogeographic provincialism in each region. A total of 44% of all species is estimated to be endemic to the Antarctic, and most of them are confined to a single biogeographic region. The level of endemism significantly increases with increasing latitude and geographic isolation. Our results have implications for conservation planning, and suggest that successful dispersal of freshwater diatoms to and within the Antarctic is limited, fostering the evolution of highly endemic diatom floras.

中文翻译：

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硅藻定义了南极的一种新颖的淡水生物地理学

与以前认为的相比，南极的陆生生物区系在全球范围内更具独特性和高度结构化的生物地理学，但是在很大程度上缺乏有关淡水群落中生物地理格局和地方性的信息。我们基于对分布在南极地区的439个湖泊的数据集中物种的分析，研究了南极淡水硅藻的生物地理格局。无论是在组成上还是在丰富度上，硅藻的植物区分开来都很独特，它们代表了南极洲大陆，海洋南极洲和南极次群岛，在每个地区都有明显的生物地理省份主义。据估计，共有44％的物种是南极特有的，其中大多数都局限于一个生物地理区域。地方性的水平随着纬度和地理隔离度的增加而显着增加。