The climate in Antarctica is extremely cold and most of the
land surfaces are covered with ice. However, there are icefree
regions in the vicinity of Syowa Station in East Ongul
Island in the Antarctic, and there are many small freshwater
lakes (Imura et al., 1999). These lakes are oligotrophic
and a low diversity of phytoplankton has been
reported (Imura et al., 1999). However, microbiological
mats with mat- and pillar-like forms, which are composed
of filamentous cyanobacteria, diatoms and green algae,
have been discovered at the bottom of these lakes (Imura
et al., 1999; Ohtsuka et al., 2006). These studies have
revealed that the biomass of the aquatic mosses in the
Antarctic lakes is abundant.