A biological study of Durvillaea antarctica (Chamisso) Hariot and D ...

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l\tlantic coast of 'rierra del Fuego to Bahia 'l'het.is (Figs,4.2c; 4.6).
DtMont D'Urville (1826) reported that Durvillaea grew at the
Falkland Is, but Bory (1826b) claimed it only occurred in drift.
Hooker (1847) established Nithout doubt that D. anta:t'ctica gre'(>~
abundantly on the Falklands. Subsequent records by Cotton (1915)
and Skottsberg (1941) suggest that Do anta~ctica grows abundantly in
exposed places uTound both East and West Falkland Is,
(ii) South Geo~gia
There is still an element of doubt as to whether iJurvi llaea grO\1I5
on Sout.h Georgia" According to t-lill (1890! 194) it is common near the
open sea coast, and less so in the bays. Reinch(1890) however, did
not include Durvillaea in his list of t.he algae of South Georgia.
Skottsberg (1907:141) recorded drift plants only, but Gain (1912:52)
included this island in a list of places inhabited by the kelp. In
1921 Skottsberg stated that neither Du:t'Villaea nor Les80nia gre\"l on
the island, and that any plants there had drifted from the west, He
added that he was personally familiar with the east coast only, and
did not dismiss entirely the possibility that D. antarctioa might
grow on the more exposed west side. His colleague, Captain C.A.
Larsen, who was evidently familiar with the algal flora, and who lived
on the island, claimed that Dur'Villaea did not groVi on the Nest coast.
South Georgia, unlike the Falklands or Tierra del Fuego, is
south of the maximum northern limit of drift ice. Any Durvillaea
growing there would be periodically exposed to the abrasive action
of the ice. It is unlikely that plants would be able to mature
under such conditions.,
(iii) The SO'Uth Shetland~ South Orkney and South Sandlvich Is
Gain (1912) listed the South Shetlands, Decel~ Cion I, and
Du Rio George as inhabited by D. ant~ctica, but his records were
based on drift plants. According to Skottsberg (1941), Gain
incorrectly assumed that the kelp grell! in the sublittoral because he
was unable to find it gx'owing in that area ..
Subsequent publications that I have seen concerning the flora
of t.his region make no mention of JJuY1,Ytllaea growio