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With the worsening weather conditions, biancocenic Antarctica is unrecognizable from the cambiocenic one. The lowering of global temperatures has indirectly led to a drying process, which has mainly affected temperate and polar areas. This has led to the almost total extinction of forest habitats, in favor of steppes, forest-steppes, and tundra. These environments are maintained not only by temperatures but also by large Antarctic herbivores, which have further reduced the potential forest cover of the continent. The activity of these large herbivores, however, despite appearances, seems to be bringing a great benefit to Antarctic biodiversity. Thanks to the production of nitrogen and other essential elements that end up in the soil and the perpetual selective browsing, the low-quality graminoid steppes have been transformed into high-quality and productive pastures. This cold but curiously rich biome, which is called tramplesteppe, will bring great surprises in the future, more than it is now carrying. Despite its overall small and fragmented distribution, the tramplesteppe biome is believed to be more biodiverse than the coldvanna, thanks to megaherbivores influences and its dry climate: because of the few snowfalls during winter, the good season can last even one month more than the coldvanna biome, where the heavy snow cover cause a delay in shrub germination.
A short description of each antarctic biome of the chapter. Click on the image for full resolution
Currently, 3 large Antarctic ecoregions are occupied by the tramplesteppe biome:
Half plateau is a relatively small elevated region located near Amery Bay. The zone, even if small, has been the cradle of the great herbivores that now roam most of the continent. During the Cambiocene, cold-adapted animals were all mainly localized in mountain areas, but with the decrease of the temperatures their range has lowered up to sea level, causing a great explosion both evolutionary and demographic of these taxa.
Wilkes Lowland is a lowland area located near the south pole. Here the temperatures and the prolonged period of darkness led to a drastic drop in the cold savannah areas of the Cambiocene, in favor of even more open areas. The reduction in coverage has led to an increase in temperature fluctuations, with very harsh winters (albeit poor in snow) and relatively hot summers.
Ross hills are another large planitial/hilly ecoregion located along the Ross Sea. The area has recently merged with the Wilkes lowlands, also becoming a tramplesteppe. The area is slightly warmer than Wilkes but still retains almost identical characteristics, especially in terms of biodiversity.
The only ecoregion where widespread woodlands can still be found in the so-called Reliquia Forest, located at the top of the Antarctic peninsula. The area maintains a subtropical-temperate climate with abundant rainfall thanks to the large South American warm current, allowing the maintenance of a closed canopy. Despite this, these conditions will not last much longer: soon the South American current will not be able to fully counter the cold Antarctic currents, transforming this warm paradise into a colder and more open ecosystem. But this is just a problem of the future: at the moment, the endemic fauna of the Reliquia Forest is experiencing the last peaks of its splendor.
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