Conservation Status of Moss Species in Northern Maritime Antarctic Based on the Index of Ecological Significance

e aim of this work was to verify moss conservation status on ice-free areas of northern Maritime Antarctic, including data of Elephant Island, King George Island and Deception Island. e study started with the classi cation and description of the plant communities based primarily on phytosociological and biodiversity data. All records were obtained from 1991-1992 to 2003-2004 austral summers. e coverage degree and frequency of each species found was used to calculate the index of ecological signi cance. 22 most frequent species based on all island records were found. e most important species in both studied areas were Sanionia uncinata (Hedw.) Loeske, Polytrichastrum alpinum (Hedw.) G. L. Smith, Bartramia patens Brid., respectively, occurring in all the studied islands. ese results demonstrate the fragility of plant communities in Maritime Antarctic, based on the low frequency and coverage of most species known to this area. Keyword: Bryophyta, ice-free areas, plant communities http://dx.doi.org/10.4322/apa.2014.063