Almost 370 samples were collected from three typesof habitats, viz. fellfield soils, mosses and ornithogenicsoils, on 14 mountain outcrops penetrating the ice sheet(nunataks) and one oasis in Dronning Maud Land, EastAntarctica. The samples were analyzed for metazoan microfauna(nematodes, rotifers and tardigrades). Studiesreveal that the populations of microfauna are patchilydistributed. Fauna composition of the microscopic animalswas found to vary greatly also among samples fromsimilar types of habitats. The presence of seemingly similarhabitable sites lacking microfauna and sites withdifferent combinations of animal taxa indicates that randomcolonization processes as well as local environmentaland historical factors might influence fauna compositionin specific habitable patches.