Volcanoes may have played a vital part in saving many species from extinction, according to researchers from Australia and Great Britain.
A study of mosses and lichens, along with primitive animals such as worms, revealed these lifeforms congregated near 16 volcanoes in Antarctica that have experienced activity in the last 20,000 years, which includes the time since the last ice age.
"Our spatial modeling of Antarctic biodiversity indicates that some terrestrial groups likely survived throughout intense glacial cycles on ice-free land or in sub-ice caves associated with areas of geothermal activity, from which recolonization of the rest of the continent took place," researchers wrote in the article announcing their findings.
Throughout the history of the Earth, global glaciations occur on an irregular schedule. These are usually accompanied by mass extinctions, which can wipe out most life on Earth.
Over 500 million years before our time, the planet was largely covered in snow and ice, for millions of years. Geologists refer to the period as "Snowball Earth." Biologists and paleontologists have often wondered how some living beings adapted to climate change. Volcanoes may provide the answer to this mystery.
Never before had anyone conducted a serious study of the "geothermal glacial refugia" hypothesis. Investigators headed down to Antarctica to examine lifeforms on that frozen continent. That landmass provided a unique bed to test the hypothesis. Antarctica has experienced many repeated cycles of glaciation which built up the ice cover. Lifeforms lived there throughout the coldest periods, isolated from the rest of the world.
What researchers discovered was that lifeforms concentrated near volcanoes, using their heat to help them survive through icy conditions. Steam from these geological features can create natural caves in the ice. Within these underground tunnels, temperatures can be dozens of degrees warmer than on the surface.
Many species take refuge in these temporary caverns, where they are sheltered from harsh environmental conditions.
"Caves and warm steam fields would have been great places for species to hang out during ice ages," Ceridwen Fraser from the Australian National University said.
Researchers are still puzzled how the lifeforms survived with little to no light.
As climate change continues to affect the planet, researchers believe this study will help conservationists decide which areas of Antarctica need the greatest degree of protection.
In the modern day, the coasts of Antarctica are home to a wide variety of lifeforms. In some areas near the water, moss can grow up to ten feet deep.
A journal article accompanying the findings was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
