General Studies · Reading Comprehension

In this question, a passage is given followed by a statement. Read the passage carefully and judge the statement based on the given passage. The majority of the Antarctic continent is covered by permanent ice and snow leaving less than 1% available for colonisation by plants. Most of this ice and snow-free lands are found along the Antarctic Peninsula, its associated islands and in coastal regio ns around the edge of the Antarctic continent. Even in the most inhospitable ice-free habitats, such as inland mounta ins and nunataks, li fe can still be found. There are no trees or shrubs, and only two species of flowering plants are found: Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort. The vegetation is predominantly made up of lower plant groups (mos ses, liverworts, lichens and fungi) that are specially adapted to surviving in extreme environments – in particular tolerating low temperatures and dehydration. There are around 100 species of mosses, 25 species of liverworts, 300 to 400 species of lichens and 20 species of macro-fungi. The greatest diversity of species is found along the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula where the climate is generally warmer and wetter than elsewhere in the Antarctic contine nt. Statement: Antarctic hair grass is the only flowering plant species found in the Antarctic continent. Choose the appropriate option: