Photosynthesis and Antarctica. It may not be the most intuitive combination, but the icy continent—famous for sculptural icebergs and marching penguins—is also home to communities of blooming algae, mosses, lichens, and even one species of grass. They’re rare, of course: Less than one percent of the entire continent is permanently ice-free to begin with. And what terrestrial vegetation does exist must rely largely on melting snow and ice for its water supply. It’s all part of a fragile ecosystem that scientists are eager to understand as global temperatures rise, affecting…
