"Until now, most scientists thought that Antarctica could exhibit a sort of inertia to climate change impacts," Nicoletta Cannone, a study author and associate professor of terrestrial ecology at Italy's University of Insubria, told Insider in an email.
"Our analyses show that now Antarctica is responding fast and this is due to the increase of the warming trend," she said.
Because it is also the coldest, windiest, and driest environment, very few plants can grow there — and only two, Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis, can flower.
It found Descampia's growth accelerated tenfold between 2009 and 2019 compared to the time period between 1960 to 2009, while Colobanthus grew five times quicker.
Other factors could be influencing the plant growth. For instance, fur seals, who trample the plants, have been less common in the area in recent years, per the study. But for the authors, climate warming is the main reason the ecosystem has changed so rapidly.
As the plant growth is not only increasing but also accelerating, "we think we're starting to see what is almost like a step change or a tipping point," Peter Convey, an author on the study from the British Antarctic Survey told New Scientist.
Advertisement
Cannone predicts that the flowering plants will eventually out-compete mosses and lichens that make up most of the vegetation in the Antarctic ecosystem, she said.
The more temperate conditions in the area could also leave the door open to non-native invasive species, per the study.
{{}}
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.