Conservation biogeography of the Antarctic

Abstract

Aim To present a synthesis of past biogeographic analyses and a new approach based on spatially explicit biodiversity information for the Antarctic region to identify biologically distinct areas in need of representation in a protected area network.

Biological invasions in terrestrial Antarctica: what is the current status and can we respond?

“…Terrestrial biodiversity is low, both in terms of species and functional diversity (Hogg et al 2006;Convey 2013). Recent biodiversity analyses have identified 15 distinct Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs) within the continent (Terauds et al 2012). The most developed terrestrial ecosystems are present close to the coast, particularly along the western Antarctic Peninsula and islands along the Scotia Arc, and in oases along the coast of East Antarctica-areas that are also favoured for the siting of research stations, and often coincide with concentrations of wildlife and spectacular scenery that attract tourist activity.…”

“…Bargagli 2005;Frenot et al 2005;Kerry and Riddle 2009;Tin et al 2009;Convey 2010, 2012;Cowan et al 2011;Chown et al 2012a) and human-assisted establishment of nonnative species, both in the context of those introduced from beyond the Antarctic region and in the movement of Antarctic biota between different eco-regions within the continent, has been identified as one of the most pervasive threats to indigenous ecosystems Chown et al 2012b;Terauds et al 2012). …”

Microbiology of Eutrophic (Ornithogenic and Hydrocarbon-Contaminated) Soil

“…The most recent effort to group these terrestrial areas into manageable conservation bioregions has seen the continent divided into fifteen geographically distinct regions, based on expert opinion and available environmental and biological information (Terauds et al 2012). As many of these bioregions have not been well characterized microbiologically, it was necessary to adapt the classification system to provide an appropriate means of structuring this review; as a result, the fifteen bioregions have been consolidated here into five regions ( Fig.…”

“…Finally, the Transantarctic Mountains bioregion is addressed here as its own region. (Terauds et al 2012) Soils between regions can be quite heterogeneous due to variable influences on soil development. Globally, soil development is dependent on five major factors: time, climate, topography, parent materials, and resident organisms (Jenny 1941).…”

“…It begins with a brief description of soil distributions in Antarctica using the current terrestrial Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (Terauds et al 2012), which are adapted to help structure this review. In the subsequent discussion of bacterial communities in Antarctic soils, an effort is made to present the important environmental features of particular regions to preface discussions of bacterial community characteristics.…”