Reproduction in lichens may be asexual by soredia (algal cells enclosed by fungal hyphae) or by sexual fungal spores, which can survive only if some algal cells are also present.
Vegetation like lichen, moss, and algae have adapted to life above the ice, along with a few different types of seabirds, including one of the most popular in Antarctica, the penguin.
The net's mesh is designed to mimic the lichen hairs, because in this coastal strip of the Atacama desert they have a lifeline to moisture — the Pacific Ocean.