Beneath the glaciers of the West Antarctic Peninsula lie island-like habitats teeming with species from spiny icefish and sea squirts to various species of starfish. According to antarctic researchers, these unique habitats are formed around glacial dropstones, rocks once incorporated into glaciers.
- Examples of dropstone megafaunal communities.
Dropstones move across the surface of Antarctica and are carried out to sea by icebergs that have calved off glaciers. As the icebergs melt, they drop these stones, which settle on the ocean floor. The fallen rocks provide a hard surface for sessile, or non-moving, species to securely attach, creating small communities surrounded by mud.
Watch: Video shows hidden antarctic biodiversity (2016).
Reference (Open Access): Ziegler et al., 2017. Glacial dropstones: islands enhancing seafloor species richness of benthic megafauna in West Antarctic Peninsula fjords. Mar Ecol Prog Ser.