Please note that final assignment is subject to the student qualifying for FWS Placement. If a student is allowed to work without having a FWS Referral Form signed by all parties and on file in this office, your department will be responsible for compensating the student.
Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland. Only cold-adapted organisms survive there, including many types of algae, animals (for example mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades), bacteria, fungi, plants, and protista.
This means that many large animals such as seals, penguins, whales and myriad other birds are able to tap the food chain close to the producers (phytoplankton) before energy is lost in intermediate stages, so the Antarctic supports a large population of large animals.