Vegetation types,community species diversity and conservation of Southern Fildes Peninsula (King George Island. South Shetland Islands) Antarctic

The vegetation in Southern Peninsula (including Ardley Island) was classified according to the composition of species (especially dominant species), physiognomy and structure, and ecology factor, into tundra, meadow, marsh and aquatic vegetation; among which the formation and association were described. The formation and distribution of these communities were dependent on the water supply and the stability of the substrata. The paper discusses also the distributional pattern of vegetation from coast to hill top, characteristics of communities, comparative study on the species number, evenness and diversity among each formation and among different habitat, and some suggestions on vegetation conservation was also attempted.